IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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■tt  lii   12.2 
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IlLgg  l|l||U,  ||6 


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FhotQgrapljic 

Sdences 

CorpcaHtion 


33  WKT  MAIN  STRIfT 

WltSTiR,N.Y.  USM 

7l6)l7a-4S03 


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<if 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Instltut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


T«chnle«t  mi«l  BIMiograpMc  NotM/NotM  tcehnlqiiM  t  bibUographiquM 


Th«  iMtitiit*  hM  attMnptwl  to  obtain  tho  boat 
orifliiMl  eofiy  avsteMo  for  filming,  footurot  of  this 
eofiy  wMeh  may  ba  bilHiOflrapMoally  uniqua, 
wMch  may  altar  any  of  tlia  Imagaa  In  tlia 
raprodiietion,  or  wMoh  may  algnifieantly  ehanga 
ttM  utual  mathod  of  fNmlng.  ara  ehaekad  balow. 


□   Colourad  eovara/ 
Couvartura  da  eoulaur 


r~1  Covars  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagAa 


□  Covara  raatorad  and/or  lamlnatod/ 
Couvartura  rastaurAa  at/ou  palliculia 

□   Covar  titia  iniMing/ 
La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

□   Colourad  mapt/ 
Cartas  gAographiquas  m%  eoulaur 


0 


n 


n 


0 


Colourad  ink  (l.a.  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  eoulaur  (l.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 


pn   Colourad  platas  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planehas  at/ou  illustrations  an  eoulaur 


Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
Rail*  avae  d'autras  documants 


Tight  binding  may  causa  shadows  or  distortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  rB  liura  sarrAs  paut  causar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
distortion  la  long  da  la  marga  intiriaura 

Blank  laavaa  addad  during  rastoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  possibla.  thasa 
hava  baan  omittad  from  filming/ 
II  sa  paut  qua  cartainas  pagas  blanehas  aJoutAas 
lors  d'una  rastauration  apparaissant  dans  la  taxta. 
mais,  lorsqua  caia  itait  possibla,  caa  pagas  n'ont 
pas  *t«  film«as. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  la  maiNaur  axamplaira 
qu1l  lui  a  it*  poaalMa  da  aa  procurar.  Laa  ditaUs 
da  eat  aiiamplaira  qui  sont  paut*#tra  uniquaa  du 
point  da  vua  blbllographiqua,  qui  pauvant  modifier 
una  image  raproduita,  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dans  la  mithoda  normala  de  fUmaga 
aont  indiquia  ci-deaaous. 


D 


Colourad  pages/ 
Pagaa  da  eoulaur 


r~n   Pages  damaged/ 


Pages  endommagias 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurAes  et/ou  pellicuiies 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxei 
Pages  dicolories,  tacheties  ou  piquies 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ditachies 

Showthroughy 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prit\ 

QualitA  inigaie  de  ('impression 

Includes  supplementary  materia 
Comprend  du  matiriel  supplimentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 


|~n  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

r~7|  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I     I  Pages  detached/ 

rri  Showthrough/ 

I     I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I     I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

rn  Only  edition  available/ 


D 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  peges  totalement  ou  partiallement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  un9  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  AtA  filmAes  A  nouveau  de  fa^on  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmantaires; 


HsH  titis  psgi  it  ■  photortproduetion. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Co  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  rMuction  indiqu*  ci-dessous 

10X                          14X                          18X                          22X 

26X 

»X 

J 

12X 

MX 

aox 

24X 

28X 

32X 

Thceopy 

to  th*  g«n«ra«lty  of 


fimod  hww  Nw  boon  rtproduood  thmks 


Ubrory  of  tho  Public 
ArcMvos  of  Conodo 


L  oxomploifo  fHflM  fut  lopredult  9^000  m  n 
yooiorooiio  00: 

Lo  bibHotMquo  do  ArehhrtM 
pubNquoo  du  Conodo 


quoHty 
loaUMNty 
tho 


Tho  imogoo  oppooring  horo  oro  tho 
poosiblo  contMoring  tho  condition 
of  tho  orlginol  co|>y  ond  in  hooping 
filming  contract  spocif icotiono. 


Orlginol  copiot  in  printed  popor  covjra  ora  fllmod 
beginning  with  tho  front  covor  ond  onding  on 
tho  lost  pogo  Mrith  0  printed  or  illuotrotod  improo- 
•ion.  or  tho  bock  covor  wlion  or«proprloto.  AN 
othor  originol  copioo  ora  fllmod  bogiiming  on  tho 
firat  pogo  wfth  o  printed  or  illuetrotod  improe- 
•ion,  end  ending  on  the  loot  pogo  with  e  printed 
or  illustrated  improeeion. 


Loo  imogee  tuhrontoe  ont  MA  roproduitoe  ovee  lo 
plue  grond  coin,  compto  tenu  do  lo  condition  ot 
do  lo  nottotA  do  roiiomploira  fHmA.  ot  en 
conformitA  ovoc  lee  conditions  du  contret  do 
fHmogo. 

Los  OKomploiree  orlginoux  dont  lo  couvertura  en 
poplor  oot  ImprimAo  sent  filmAo  on  common^ont 
per  lo  premier  plot  ot  en  torminent  soit  per  lo 
domlAra  pogo  qui  comporto  une  omprointe 
dimpraesion  ou  d'iNvstrotion,  soit  per  ie  second 
plot,  colon  lo  COS.  Tous  lee  outree  exomplolres 
orlginoux  sent  fHmAe  en  common^ont  per  lo 
pramUkra  pogo  qui  comporto  une  omprointe 
d'impreosion  ou  d'illustretion  ot  on  torminent  per 
ie  dornlAra  pogo  qui  comporto  une  teHe 
omprointe. 


The  lost  recorded  frame  on  eoch  microfiche 
shell  contein  the  symbol  — »•  (mooning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (mooning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  dee  symbolos  suhrents  opporattra  sur  Ie 
dornlAra  imoge  do  cheque  microfiche,  colon  Ie 
cos:  lo  symboie  -^^  signifle  "A  8UIVRE",  Ie 
symbolo  ▼  signifle  "FIN". 


Mops,  pletes,  cherts,  etc.,  moy  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  bo 
entirely  included  in  one  exposura  era  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  end  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
requirad.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Los  cartes,  plenches,  tableaux,  etc.,  pouvont  Atre 
fllmAs  A  dos  toux  do  rAduction  diff Aronts. 
Lorsquo  lo  document  est  trap  grand  pour  Atra 
roproduit  en  un  soul  clichA,  11  est  fllmA  A  portir 
do  i'onjio  supArlour  gauche,  do  gauche  A  drolte. 
ot  do  hout  en  bes,  en  pranent  Ie  nombra 
d'imagos  nAcossoira.  Los  dlogrammeo  suivents 
illMStrent  lo  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

^^'->'- 1: 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

J  0  U  E  N  A  L 


I.  r 


CHAELES  CAUROLL  OF  CAMOLLTON. 


i 


■i 


f 


'C 


JOURNAL 


<»F 


<El)arlcs  ifiarroll  of  iilarvollton, 


»  U  R  I  N  U     HIS 


VISIT   TO  CANADA   IN   1776, 


AS  ONE  OF  THF,  rOMMISSIONKRS  FROM  rON(iI{KSS; 


lUtti)  a  Mtmo'xv  anli   Notes 


BY    BRANTZ    MAYER, 


ti.!.  .',,:(.  Ml    llir',  S,;, 


P  JBLISHED  BY  THE  MARYLAND  HISTORICAI.  SOCIETY. 


B  A  L  1  I  M  (t  l<  K  : 
PRINTED  AND  PUBLISHED  B7  J.  MURPHY,  178  BAIiTIMORE  STREET 

M  D  C  C  C  X  l<  V . 


^ 


— -vv. 


tf.'l 


'^mmmmmmii^ 


fev 


I- 


L*A\ 


!    ,.■        ( 


n 


Kntbred,  acoonling  to  Ihc  Aci  of  Congress,  in  ihe  year  eighteen  hundred  and  forty-flve,  by 
Krantz  Mayer,  for  the  jMarvi,and  IIistoricai.  Society,  in  the  Clerk's  office  of  tlic 
IJistrict  Court  of  Maryland. 


lOMN  MI'RPIIY,  I'RINTKR, 


I 


;   Krratiim.— •  >n  page  19,  ■iuvoiith  line  from  lop,  for  •'  lioo-sidth"  road  Ivo  tAi/Iings  and  sixpence,    j  j 


f 


-^ 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR 


UPON   THE 


EXPEDITION    TO    CANADA 


IN 


1775,   1776. 


(ill)apter  I. 


1  ! 
I  t 


'ire.    ,, 

i  i 


That  long  line  of  lakes  and  rivers  which  flow, 
southeastwardly,  across  our  continent,  and  empty 
themselves  into  the  Atlantic  through  the  gulf  of  Saint 
Lawrence,  would  seem  to  form  a  natural  barrier 
between  two  nations,  marking  their  geographical 
limits,  if  it  did  not  also  bound  distinctive  races.  And 
such,  in  fact,  was  really  the  case  with  a  part  of  this 
extensive  chain,  until  the  peace  of  Paris  in  1763,  when 
Canada,  after  the  victory  of  Wolfe,  passed  from  the 
dominion  of  France  to  that  of  the  British  crown. 

In  March,  1766,  the  stamp  act  was  repealed ;  but 
the  English  ministry,  foiled  in  its  first  attempt  on  the 
liberties  of  the  American  colonies,  seemed  determined 
to  tease  and  worry  them  into  rebellion.  Taxation 
by  duties  was  laid  in  1767,  and  Maryland  at  once 
took  ground  against  the  imposition.  Associations  for 
"  non  importation"  were  speedily  formed ;  but,  after 
existing  for  a  while,  they  were  abandoned,  and  local 
2 


6 


INTUODUCTOKV    MEMUIK. 


discontents  arose  in  our  state  that  exasperated  the 
people's  feelings  against  Ministerial  oppressions,  until 
they  were  ripe  for  the  revolt  that  ultimately  broke 
out* 

Amongst  the  earliest  demonstrations  of  a  disposition 
on  the  part  of  the  colonists  to  resort  to  violence,  was 
the  attack  upon  the  newly  ceded  province  of  Canada. 

The  expedition  that  was  sent  to  the  north  was 
deemed,  by  some  persons,  of  questionable  policy,  and 
not  a  few  of  our  people  thought  it  entirely  subversive 
of  the  principles  upon  which  we  grounded  our  resist- 
ance, It  might  naturally,  they  alleged,  be  regarded 
as  a  wai-  of  conquest,  and,  as  such,  was  entirely  at 
variance  with  the  spirit  of  our  discontent. 

Such,  however,  was  not  a  just  view  of  the  case. 
The  boundarv  of  the  lakes  to  which  we  have  alluded, 
formed,  in  reality,  no  boundary  to  British  rule,  for  the 
sway  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  was  now  fully  estab- 
lished over  the  whole  of  the  northern  part  of  the  con- 
tinent. It  was  obviously  proper,  therefore,  to  detract, 
if  possible,  from  the  power  of  our  a..3ailants  to  harm 
us  on  the  great  watery  highway  of  the  lakes  and 
rivers,  or  to  present  such  an  united  force  of  colonial 
and  provincial  inhabitants  as  might  counterbalance,  in 
a  great  measure,  the  pertinacious  loyalists  who  were 
disposed  to  discountenance  our  appeals  for  justice. 
For  it  will  be  remembered,  that  before  the  declara- 
tion of  our  national  independence,  the  warfare  was 
neither  against  the  throne  nor  the  laws  of  England, 
but  against  a  reckless  and  oppressive  ministry.! 

*  See  McMahon's  History  of  Maryland,  vol.  i,  p.  380. 
fSee  Col.  Reed's  letter  to  Washington,  and  Washington's  reply. — 
fVaahington's  fVriiings,  vol.  iii,  p.  347. 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


the 
ntil 
oke 

ition 
was 
lada. 
was 
,  and 
irsive 
esist- 
atrded 
;ly  at 

case, 
luded, 
for  the 
estab- 
le  con- 
etract, 
Q  harm 
es  and 
•olonial 
ince,  in 
JO  were 
justice, 
ieclara- 
are  was 
ingland, 

yt 


a' 


reply- 


In  taking  advantage,  therefore,  of  this  general 
desire  to  enlist  the  whole  of  the  British  subjects  in 
America  in  the  preservation  of  their  privileges,  efforts 
were  justly  and  fairly  made  to  obtain  possession  of 
the  keys  of  the  lakes  and  of  the  St.  Lawrence  at 
Quebec  and  Montreal. 

As  Sir  Guy  Carleton  had  manifested  a  strong  dis- 
position to  sustain  the  ministry  against  the  people,  it 
was  hoped  that  his  efforts  would  thus  be  neutralized, 
and  an  unbroken  front  of  firm  and  resisting  freemen 
presented  to  the  cabinet  and  parliament. 

Canada  was  a  province  whose  citizens  had  not  yet 
coalesced  with  the  English.  In  the  debate  on  the 
Canada  bill,  in  1774,  the  widest  latitude  of  opinion 
was  expressed  as  to  the  proper  government  and  laws 
for  the  conquered  province,  and  the  most  lamentable 
ignorance  was  displayed  as  to  the  character  and 
temper  of  the  people.* 

Under  the  French  the  spirit  of  the  government  had 
been  military.  Conquest  was  the  chief  object,  and 
the  desire  of  the  authorities  was  to  command  the 
lakes,  to  control  the  territories  on  the  Ohio,  and  thus, 
descending  the  Mississippi  to  Louisiana,  to  embrace 
the  great  internal  resources  of  this  continent  by  two 
gigantic  arms,  one  of  which  should  rest  on  the  St. 
Lawrence  whilst  the  other  controlled  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  Canada,  therefore,  was  the  citadel  and  nur- 
sery of  their  troops.  Large  detachments  were  sent 
every  year  to  the  Ohio  and  to  other  interior  parts  of 
North  America,  and,  by  these  annual  campaigns,  the 
province  was  drained  of  its  blood  and  energy.  The 
people  had  no  time  for  settlement  and  its  peaceful 

*  See  Cavendish's  Debates  on  the  Canada  hill  in  1774. 


UHta.-: 


8 


INTRODUCTOHV    MEMOIR. 


k 


I 


results.  Marriages  were  prevented,  and  numbers 
perislied  in  the  toilsome  services  to  which  they  were 
devoted  among  the  savages  of  the  remote  wilderness. 
But,  after  the  conquest  by  Great  Britain,  the  aspect 
of  affairs  was  changed.  The  government  became 
one  of  peace,  and  the  inhabitants — not  greatly  aug- 
mented in  numbers  by  emigration — were  permitted  to 
cultivate  their  lands,  whilst  the  judges  took  care  not 
to  interfere  essentially  with  their  laws  and  customs.* 
Besides  this,  the  policy  of  England  towards  Canada 
was  wise  in  another  respect.  In  October,  1763,  a 
royal  proclamation  was  made,  by  which  the  province 
of  Quebec  was  limited  and  bounded  ;  and  on  the  13th 
of  June,  1774,  parliament  passed  the  "  Quebec  act," 
by  which  those  limits  were  enlarged,  and,  his  majes- 
ty's subjects  professing  the  religion  of  the  church  of 
Rome,  were  guarantied  the  free  exercise  of  their 
worship,  whilst  their  priests  were  protected  in  the 
full  discharge  of  all  their  functions. 

Thus  Canada,  though  a  quasi  foreign  country,  was 
a  contented  one,  and  it  behooved  our  statesmen  to 
take  heed  lest  her  people,  still  alive  to  their  ancient 
military  glory,  might  annoy  or  distract  our  frontier. 
The  warfare,  therefore,  that  we  waged  within  her 
borders,  was  one,  in  fact,  of  political  propagandism, 
in  which  the  people,  unfortunately  for  themselves  as 
the  sequel  proved,  took  but  little  interest. 

We  will  not  dwell,  now,  on  the  successes  of  our 
troops  in  Canada  up  to  the  spring  of  1776.  So  many 
works  have  been  written  on  the  history  of  that  period 
and  on  the  biography  of  the  eminent  men  who  led  our 


See  "  Debates,"  Stc,  pp.  104,  10.5. 


INTHODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


iJ 


armies,  that  it  would  be  useless,  in  this  sketch,  to 
review  the  earlier  part  of  our  campaign. 

But  after  the  successes  of  Arnold  and  Allen  at 
Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point,  the  former  of  these 
otHcers  pushed  on  towards  (Quebec  through  the  wil- 
derness. By  the  capture  of  a  small  fleet  at  Sorel, 
under  General  Prescott,  the  Americans  had  gained 
command  of  the  St.  Lawrence  above  Quebec,  and, 
as  all  the  British  posts  in  Canada  were  under  our 
control,  except  the  capital,  that  now  became  the 
object  of  eager  enterprise.* 

On  the  31st  of  December,  1775,  Montgomery 
stormed  that  stronghold,  and  fell  in  the  attack.  Our 
troops  were  unsuccessful  in  effecting  a  lodgment ;  but 
Arnold,  on  whom  the  command  devolved,  sat  down 
resolutely  before  the  capital  in  the  depth  of  winter, 
and  with  the  small  remnant  of  his  troops  besieged  a 
Ministerial  force  of  nearly  double  his  number. 

Reinforcements  were  sent  to  our  colonial  general, 
who  had  been  immediately  promoted  for  his  gallantry, 
and  troops  that  carried  their  own  provisions  during  a 
perilous  march  through  the  forests  on  snow  shoes, 
reached  him  from  Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  and 
Massachusetts. 

With  this  fragmentary,  undisciplined,  ill-fed,  and 
miserable  array,  he  kept  his  ground  until  spring. 
Meanwhile,  Wooster  had  quietly  rested  during  the 
long  and  arduous  winter,  in  the  secure  and  undisputed 
Montreal.  "A  state  of  repose,"  says  Mr.  Sparks 
"  which  his  countrymen  were  not  prepared  to  expect 
from  a  man  who  had  gained  the  reputation  of  a  bold 
and  active  officer  in  the  last  war."t 

■♦  See  Sparks'  Life  of  Arnold.        f  See  Sparks'  Life  of  Arnold,  p.  55. 


10 


INTRODUCTORY   MEMOIR. 


'.  ■  -. 


However,  on  the  1st  of  April,  1776,  he  left  his  win- 
ter quarters  for  Quebec,  and,  as  he  outranked  Arnold, 
took  commaiid  immediately  on  his  arrival.  Arnold, 
who  was  no  doubt  discontented  at  not  being  permitted 
to  continue  in  authority  at  a  season  when  he  might 
have  struck  a  daring  and  effectual  blow,  forthwith 
departed  for  Montreal,  and  left  this  weak  and  inju- 
dicious officer  to  conduct  the  siege.* 

Canada  was  thus,  in  fact,  in  the  possession  of  our 
colonial  troops,  yet  the  tenure  was  rather  nominal 
than  real.  It  was  a  conflict  between  the  military  on 
both  sides,  whilst  the  people  of  the  province — the  sub- 
ject matter  of  all  available  controversy — had  as  yet 
manifested  no  ardent  desire  to  join  us. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  early  in  the  memora- 
ble year  of  '76.  But  the  feeble  grasp  with  which  we 
held  that  remote  province  was  not  long  to  be  con- 
tinued. On  the  first  of  April,  Col.  Hazen,  who  had 
taken  command  at  Montreal,  on  the  departure  of 
General  Wooster,  and  before  the  arrival  of  Arnold, 
thus  wrote  to  General  Schuyler : 

"  You  are  not  unacquainted  with  the  friendly  dis- 
position of  the  Canadians  when  General  Montgomery 
first  penetrated  into  the  country.  The  ready  assist- 
ance they  gave  on  all  occasions,  by  men,  carriages, 
or  provisions,  was  most  remarkable.  Even  when  he 
was  before  Quebec,  many  parishes  offered  their  ser- 
vices in  the  reduction  of  that  fortress,  which  were  at 
that  time  thought  unnecessary.  But  his  most  unfor- 
tunate fate,  added  to  other  incidents,  has  caused  such 
a  change  in  their  disposition,  that  we  no  longer  look 

*  See  Mr,  Carroll's  Journal,  of  the  SHth  of  May,  and  note,  for  the  Com- 
missioners' opinion  of  Wooster's  conduct  iu  Canada. 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


11 


upon  them  as  friends,  but,  on  the  contrary,  as  waiting 
an  opportunity  to  join  our  enemies.  That  no  observa- 
tions of  my  own  may  remain  obscure,  I  beg  leave  to 
observe  that  I  think  the  clergy,  or  guardians  of  the 
souls  and  conductors  of  the  bodies  of  these  enthusiasts, 
have  been  neglected,  perhaps,  in  some  instances,  ill 
used.  Be  that  as  it  will,  they  are  unanimous,  though 
privately,  against  our  cause,  and  I  have  too  much  rea- 
son to  fear  that  many  of  them,  with  other  people  of 
some  consequence,  have  carried  on  a  correspondence 
the  whole  winter  with  General  Carleton  in  Quebec, 
and  are  now  plotting  our  destruction.  The  peasantry 
in  general  have  been  ill  used.  They  have,  in  some 
instances,  been  dragooned  with  the  point  of  the  bay- 
onet to  supply  wood  for  the  garrison  at  a  lower  rate 
than  the  current  price.  For  carriages  and  many  other 
articles  furnished,  illegible  certificates  have  been 
given  without  signature;  the  one-half,  of  consequence, 
rejected  by  the  quartermaster-general.  It  is  true, 
payment  has  been  promised  from  time  to  time ;  yet 
they  look  upon  such  promises  as  vague,  their  labor 
and  property  lost,  and  the  congress  or  united  colonies 
bankrupt.  And,  in  a  more  material  point,  they  have 
not  seen  sufficient  force  in  the  country  to  protect  them. 
These  matters  furnish  very  strong  arguments  to  be 
made  use  of  by  our  enemies.  Witii  respect  to  the 
better  sort  of  people,  both  French  and  English,  seven- 
eighths  are  tories,  who  would  wish  to  see  our  throats 
cut,  and  perhaps  would  readily  assist  in  doing  it. 

"  You  may  remember,  sir,  in  a  conversation  with 
you  at  Albany,  I  urged  the  necessity  of  sending  im- 
mediately to  Canada  able  generals,  a  respectable 
army,  a  committee  of  congress,  a  suitable  supply  of 


12 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


III 


I 


hard  cash,  and  a  printer.  Indeed,  I  had  before  repre- 
sented tho.se  measures  in  person  to  congress,  at  least, 
to  the  committee  of  congress,  and  we  have  since  been 
flattered,  from  time  to  time,  that  we  should  have  one 
or  all  of  these  essentials."* 

The  commissioners,  alluded  to  by  Colonel  Hazen, 
had  already  been  appointed  by  congress ;  and,  on  the 
day  subsequent  to  the  date  of  his  letter,  had  departed 
from  the  city  of  New  York  on  their  way  to  Montreal. 

On  the  15th  of  February,  '76,  it  was  "  Resolved 
that  a  committee  of  three — two  of  whom  to  be  mem- 
bers of  congress — be  appointed  to  repair  to  Canada, 
there  to  pursue  such  instructions  as  shall  be  given 
them  by  that  body."t 

Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin,  Samuel  Chase,  and  Chas. 
Carroll  of  Carroll  ton,  were  chosen  for  this  purpose 
(the  two  first  named  being  members),  and,  by  a  spe- 
cial resolution,  the  last  mentioned  gentleman  was  de- 
sired "  to  prevail  on  Mr.  John  Carroll  to  accompany 
the  committee  to  Canada  to  assist  them  in  such  mat- 
ters as  they  shall  think  useful." 

This  gentleman,  who  afterwards  became  the  first 
Koman  Catholic  Archbishop  of  the  United  States,  had 
already  received  holy  orders  in  Europe.  He  was  a 
Jesuit  of  distinguished  theological  attainments,  and 
was  celebrated  for  his  amiable  manners  and  polished 
address.  Both  of  the  Carrolls  were  educated  in 
Europe,  and  had  formed  connections  of  the  most 
intimate  kind  with  the  people  of  the  old  world.  The 
Rev.  John  Carroll  had  been  private  tutor  in  the  family 

*Spc  Washington's  Writings,  vol.  Hi,  p.  361,  note. 

+  See  Journals  of  Congress,  vol.  ii,  p.  62,  edition  of  1800. 


1 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


13 


of  Lord  Stourton,  with  whom  he  made  the  tour  of 
Europe  after  the  dissolution  of  the  Jesuits,  and  might, 
therefore,  have  been  supposed  to  lean  to  the  side  of 
loyalty;  but  all  the  members  of  his  family  had  early 
manifested  their  partiality  for  the  colonies.  After 
pursuing  his  studies  in  the  Temple,  and  returning  to 
Maryland,  Mr.  Charles  Carroll  of  Carrollton  had  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  controversy  with  Daniel 
DuLANY,  the  great  legal  luminary  of  Maryland,  on  the 
proclamation  and  vestry  questions,  *  and  had  inti- 
mated his  resolution  to  sustain  his  native  land  against 
the  oppressions  of  the  mother  country.  The  one  was 
an  humble  but  learned  priest;  the  other  an  independ- 
ent lawyer  of  ample  fortune  and  promising  talents ; 
but  both  staked,  at  once,  their  lives  and  honor  on  the 
issues  of  the  day,  and  were  thus  prepared  to  take 
conspicuous  parts  in  the  approaching  revolution. 

Whilst  congress  was  anxious  to  aid  the  cool  judg- 
ment of  Franklin  by  the  intrepidity  of  Chase  and  the 
courtly  address  of  Carroll,  it  went  still  further,  and 
requested  this  polished  churchman  to  unite  himself 
with  the  expedition,  "  and  assist  the  commissioners  in 
such  things  as  they  might  think  useful."  The  object 
of  this,  although  not  entered  on  the  journals  of  con- 
gress or  expressed  in  any  formal  preamble  to  the 
resolutions,  is  perfectly  evident.  In  the  debates  on 
the  Canada  bill,  in  1774,  we  are  informed  that  there 
were  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  Catholics,  and 
only  three  hundred  and  sixty  Protestants  within  the 
government  of  the  province  of  Quebec,!  and  it  was 

*See  McMahon's  History  of  Maryland,  vol.  i,  p.  388,  and  Green's 
Ga/ette,  1773. 

tSee  Debates,  Sic,  p.  103. 


14 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


. 


Mi 


therefore  believed  that  one  of  the  surest  means  of 
prompt  success  with  such  a  mass  of  Romanists,  was 
to  show  them,  by  influential  men  of  their  own  creed, 
that  their  brethren,  over  the  borders,  were  up  in  arms 
and  ready  to  do  battle  in  defence  of  religious  and 
political  liberty.  Three  of  these  representatives  came 
from  a  province  originally  founded  by  tolerant  Catho- 
lics, who  had  received  a  tolerant  charter  even  from  a 
bigoted  king.* 

We  have  seen  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll  was  an 
unquestioned  patriot,  agreeing  with  the  liberalists  in 
all  their  views ;  yet  it  may  be  asserted  that  he  was 
not  justified  in  joining  an  expedition  that  might  kindle 
the  flame  of  religious  war  on  the  Catholic  frontier. 
Such,  undoubtedly,  was  also  Mr.  Carroll's  opinion ; 
and  he  felt,  as  deeply  as  any  man  in  the  colonies,  that 
religion  should  never  become  an  auxiliary  of  strife, 
and  that  it  was  his  duty,  as  her  minister,  to  allay,  if 
possible,  the  angry  spirit  of  the  times,  and  to  prevail 
on  the  disaffected  subjects  of  Britain  to  adhere  to 
their  allegiance.  j 

In  order,  therefore,  to  estimate  fully  the  delicacy  of 
Mr.  Carroll's  position,  we  must  recollect  that  at  the 

*  We  hold  the  opioion  that  no  act  could  have  been  legally  passed 
by  our  colonial  legislature  in  Maryland,  in  conformity  with  the  char- 
ter of  Charles,  that  v/as  not  tolerant  in  its  character  to  all  religion- 
ists. Our  opinion  is  founded  on  a  clause  in  the  twenty-second  section 
of  that  instrument,  which  declares  that  the  charter  shall  be  expounded 
always  in  the  most  favorable  and  beneficial  manner  for  the  benefit  of 
Lord  Baltimore,  his  heirs  and  assigns, — "Proviso  semper  quod  nulla 
fiat  interpretatio  per  quaiii  sacro-sancta  Dei  et  vera  Christmna  religio 
aut  Ligeantia  nobis  hseredibus  et  succssoribus  nostris  debita  inmuta- 
tione  prejudicio  vel  dispendio  in  aliquo  patiantur  eo  quod  expressa 
mentis,"  &c. 

Broad  ClaistUmity  alone  is  here  referred  to,  and  that  was  not  to  sufler 
by  "  change,  prejudice,  or  diminution." 


ii  t 


INTRODUCTORY   MEMOIR. 


ID 


ins  of 
),  was 
creed, 
L  arms 
IS  and 
icame 
Datho- 
from  a 

vas  an 
lists  in 
he  was 

kindle 
rontier. 
pinion ; 
es,  that 
f  strife, 
allay,  if 

prevail 
[here  to 

icacy  of 
t  at  the 

illy  passed 
1  the  char- 
lU  religion- 
ond  section 
expounded 
e  benefit  of 
quod  nulla 
lUtna  religio 
ita  inmuta- 
)d  expressa 


period  when  congress  required  his  services,  the  pros- 
pect of  reconciliation  wfth  the  king  was  not  entirely 
occluded.  Appeals,  protests,  and  remonstrances  had 
been  tried  in  vain.  All  the  ordinary  efibrts  of  per- 
suasion had  failed  to  produce  redress.  In  such  a  state 
of  things  it  would  seem  but  reasonable  that  a  patri- 
otic priest,  who  regarded  his  duty  to  his  country  as 
next  to  that  he  owed  his  God,  and  who  was  zealous 
for  the  religious  as  well  as  the  political  freedom  of  his 
brethren,  should  seize  upon  so  favorable  an  occasion 
to  render  a  service  of  lasting  value  to  the  large  and 
conquered  mass  of  Canadian  Catholics.  He  was, 
perhaps,  about  to  obtain  a  boon  for  himself;  he  de- 
sired that  others  should  participate  in  its  benefits. 
And  he  naturally  felt  anxious  that,  w^hen  civil  and 
religious  liberty  were  for  ever  secured  to  the  colonies, 
the  subjects  north  of  the  lakes  should,  at  the  same 
time,  obtain  a  permanent  concession  of  fair  and  equal 
laws. 

Mr.  Carroll  was,  therefore,  very  properly  desirous 
to  identify  Canada  with  our  struggle  or  to  procure 
her  neutrality ;  as,  from  her  imposing  size,  her  com- 
manding geographical  position,  her  foreign  population, 
and  her  recent  disruption  from  France — her  resolved 
attitude  of  defiance  or  indifference  would,  in  all  prob- 
ability, strike  terror  into  the  minds  of  the  headstrong 
Ministry ;  and  thus,  by  opposing  the  formidable  ani- 
mosity of  an  united  continent,  we  should  gain  our 
ends  and  nip  the  w^ar  in  its  ripening  bud.*  Mr.  Car- 
roll s  views,  therefore,  were  eminently  pacific,  and 
their  wisdom  has  since  been  fully  proved.     The  col- 


not  to  sutler 


*See  U.  S.  Catholic  Magazine,  vol.  iv,  p.  251,  and  Brent's  Biography 
of  Archbishop  Carroll,  p.  69. 


I  '  B' 


hi 


) 


1  ! 


if      I 


U) 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


onies  obtained  their  independence,  whilst  Canada 
remains  a  discontented  and  refractory  province  of  the 
British  empire."*^ 

It  is  a  singular  thing  that  Dr.  Franklin,  who  now, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy,  was  sent  on  this 
wild  and  fatiguing  journey  to  wrest  Canada  from 
England  or  neutralize  it,  had  been  one  of  the  first, 
seventeen  years  before,  to  urge  its  conquest  upon  the 
mother  country.  When  he  was  in  London  in  1759, 
although  he  had  no  interviews  with  the  minister,  his 
conversation  on  American  afiairs  was  always  respect- 
fully heeded  by  men  in  power,  and  "  it  has  been  said 
on  good  authority,"  declares  Mr.  Sparks,  ^'  that  the 
expedition  against  Canada,  and  its  consequences  in 
the  victory  of  Wolfe  at  Quebec  and  the  conquest  of 
that  country,  may  be  chiefly  ascribed  to  Franklin. 
He  disapproved  the  policy,  by  which  the  ministry  had 
hitherto  been  guided,  of  carrying  on  the  war  against 
the  French  in  the  heart  of  Germany,  where,  if  suc- 
cessful, it  would  end  in  no  real  gain  to  the  British 
nation,  and  no  essential  loss  to  the  enemy.    In  all 

*  One  of  the  writer's  earliest  recollections  is  of  the  funeral  of  this  ex- 
cellent prelate,  which  was  celebrated  with  great  pomp  at  Baltimore  in 
1815,  and  attended  by  distinguished  citizens  and  mourning  poor  of  all 
Christian  denominations.  The  loss  of  Archbishop  Carroll  was  not  a 
loss  alone  to  the  church  over  which  he  presided,  and  which  he  may  be 
said  to  have  founded  in  the  United  States.  Men  of  all  creeds  loved 
him,  for  his  life  had  been  one  of  tolerance,  charity,  and  affection.  His 
career,  as  priest  and  prelate,  had  been  conceived  in  that  spirit  of 
Christian  moderation  which,  whilst  it  upheld  with  firmness  the  essen- 
tial dignity  and  efficacy  of  his  own  creed,  still  regarded  the  professorr 
of  other  forms  as  entitled  to  a  liberal  and  unbigoted  consideration. 
This  good  bishop,  who  was  long  mourned,  and  will  be  long  remem- 
bered by  Marylanders,  died  in  this  city,  at  the  age  of  eighty,  on  the  3d 
of  Doreml)er,  1815. 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


17 


anada 
of  the 


0  now, 
m  this 

1  from 
e  first, 
)on  the 
1 1759, 
ter,  his 
espect- 
en  said 
lat  the 
nces  in 
juest  of 
ranklin. 
ttry  had 
against 

if  suc- 

British 

In  ail 

af  this  ex- 
iltimore  in 
)Oor  of  all 
vas  not  a 
le  tnay  be 
Beds  loved 
tion.  His 
t  spirit  of 
the  essen- 

professorr 
isideration. 
ig  remem- 

on  the  3d 


companies,  and  on  all  occasions,  he  urged  the  reduc- 
tion of  Canada  as  an  object  of  the  utmost  importance. 
It  would  inflict  a  blow  upon  the  French  power  in 
America,  from  which  it  could  never  recover,  and 
which  would  have  a  lasting  influence  in  advancing 
the  prosperity  of  the  British  colonies.  These  senti- 
ments he  conveyed  to  the  minister's  friends,  with  such 
remarks  on  the  practicability  of  the  enterprise,  and 
the  manner  of  conducting  it,  as  his  intimate  know- 
ledge of  the  state  of  things  in  America  enabled  him  to 
communicate.  They  made  the  impression  he  desired, 
and  the  result  verified  his  prediction."* 

The  same  ripe  judgment  that  saw  the  importance 
of  Canada  for  England  in  order  to  give  her  control 
over  the  lakes  and  the  west,  saw  it  for  the  colonies 
also ;  and  thus  Franklin  was  most  discreetly  selected 
for  this  responsible  mission. 


€l)aptcr  II. 

On  the  2d  of  April,  177(),  Franklin,  Chase,  and 
the  Carrolls,  properly  accoutred  for  so  fatiguing  a 
journey  of  over  four  hundred  miles,  departed  from  the 
city  of  New  York  in  a  sloop  for  Albany. 

These  gentlemen  had,  of  course,  been  duly  com- 
missioned by  congress  "  to  promote  or  to  form  a  union 
between  the  colonies  and  the  people  of  Canada;" 
and  on  the  20th  of  March  they  received  their  ample 
instructions. 

♦Franklin's  Writings,  vol.  i,  pp.  '248,  257. 


V'i    ! 


J\ 


18 


INTROnUCTORY    MEMOIR, 


They  were  told  to  represent  to  the  Canadians  that 
tlie  arms  of  the  united  colonies  had  been  carried 
into  that  province  for  the  purpose  of  frustrating  the 
designs  of  the  British  court  against  our  common 
liberties;  that  we  expected  not  only  to  defeat  the 
hostile  machinations  of  Governor  Carlfiton  against  us, 
but  that  we  should  put  it  in  the  power  of  our  Cana- 
dian brethren  to  pursue  such  measures  for  securing 
their  own  freedom  and  happiness  as  a  generous  love 
of  liberty  and  sound  policy  should  dictate  to  them. 

They  were  desired  to  inform  them  that,  in  the 
judgment  of  congress,  their  interest  and  that  of  the 
colonies  were  inseparably  united.  That  it  was  im- 
possible we  could  be  reduced  to  a  servile  submission 
to  Great  Britain  without  their  sharing  in  our  fate ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  if  we  obtained,  as  we  doubted 
not  we  should,  a  full  establishment  of  our  rights,  it 
depended  wholly  on  their  choice,  whether  they  would 
participate  with  us  in  those  blessings,  or  still  remain 
subject  to  every  act  of  tyranny  which  British  minis- 
ters should  please  to  exercise  over  them. 

They  were  told  to  urge  all  such  arguments  as  their 
prudence  suggested  to  enforce  our  opinion  concerning 
the  mutual  interests  of  the  two  countries,  and  to  con- 
vince them  of  the  impossibility  of  the  war  being  con- 
cluded to  the  disadvantage  of  the  colonies,  if  we 
wisely  and  vigorously  cooperated  with  each  other. 
To  convince  them  of  the  uprightness  of  our  intentions 
towards  them,  they  were  to  declare  that  it  was  the 
inclination  of  congress  that  the  people  of  Canada 
should  set  up  such  a  form  of  government  as  would  be 
most  likely,  in  their  judgment,  to  promote  their  hap- 
piness.    And  they  were,  in  the  strongest  terms,  to 


n 


li  I 


INTROOUCTUKY    MEMOIR. 


19 


assure  them  that  it  was  our  earnest  desire  to  adopt 
them  into  our  union  as  a  sister  colony,  and  to  secure 
the  same  system  of  mild  and  equal  laws  for  them  and 
for  ourselves,  with  only  such  local  differences  as  might 
be  agreeable  to  each  colony  respectively. 

They  were  to  assure  the  Canadians  that  we  had 
no  apprehension  that  the  French  would  take  any  part 
with  Great  Britain ;  bat  that  it  vms  their  interest,  and, 
we  had  reason  to  believe,  their  inclination,  to  cultivate 
a  friendly  intercourse  with  these  colonies. 

From  this  and  such  other  reasons  as  might  appear 
most  proper,  they  were  charged  to  urge  the  necessity 
the  people  were  under  of  immediately  taking  some 
decisive  step  to  put  themselves  within  the  protection 
of  the  united  colonies.  For  expediting  such  a  measure, 
they  were  to  explain  our  method  of  collecting  the 
sense  of  the  people  and  conducting  our  affairs  regu- 
larly by  committees  of  observation  and  inspection  in 
the  several  districts,  and  by  conventions  and  com- 
mittees of  safety  in  the  several  colonies.  These 
modes  were  to  be  recommended  to  them.  The  na- 
ture and  principles  of  government  among  freemen 
were  to  be  fully  explained,  developing,  in  contrast  to 
these,  the  base,  cruel,  and  insidious  designs  involved 
in  the  late  act  of  parliament  for  making  a  more  effect- 
ual provision  for  the  government  of  the  province  of 
Quebec*  Motives  of  glory  and  interest  were  to  be 
proposed  as  stimulants  to  the  Canadians  to  unite  in 
a  contest  by  which  they  must  be  deeply  affected, 
and  they  icere  to  be  taught  to  aspire  to  a  poitton  of 
that  power  by  which  they  were  ruled,  and  not  to  remain 
the  mere  spoils  and  prey  of  their  conquerors. 

'The  "duebec  act,"  passed  June,  177'1. 


20 


INTnODUCTOUY   MEMUIU. 


They  were  directed,  further,  to  declare  that  tee 
held  sacred  the  lights  of  conscience ;  and  should  jtrom- 
ise  to  the  whole  people,  solemnly,  in  the  name  of  con- 
gress, the  free  and  undisturbed  exercise  of  their  religion; 
and  to  the  clergy  the  full,  perfect,  and  jtcaceable  pos- 
session and  enjoyment  of  all  their  estates: — th€U  the 
government  of  every  thing  relative  to  their  creed  and 
clergy  should  be  left,  entirely,  in  tite  Iiands  of  the  good 
peo])le  of  that  province,  and  such  legislature  as  tliey 
should  constitute ;  provided,  however,  that  all  other  de- 
nominations of  Christians  should  be  equally  entitled  to 
hold  offices,  and  enjoy  civil  privileges  and  the  free  exer- 
cise of  their  religion,  as  well  as  he  totally  exempt  from 
the  payment  of  any  tithes  or  taxes  for  the  support  of 
religion. 

They  were  desired  to  press  for  a  convention  of  the 
people^  a  speedy  organization  of  government,  and 
union  with  the  colonies.  The  terms  of  the  union 
should  be  similar  to  those  of  the  other  colonies ;  and, 
if  our  terms  were  acceded  to,  they  were  to  promise 
our  defence  of  the  Canadians  against  all  enemies. 

A  free  press  was  to  be  established,  and  the  commis' 
sioners  were  to  settle  all  disputes  betwixt  the  Cana- 
dians and  continental  troops.  They  were  to  reform 
all  abuses,  to  enforce  peace  and  good  order,  and  were 
empowered  to  sit  and  vote  in  councils  of  war;  to 
erect  or  demolish  fortifications,  and  to  suspend  mili- 
tary officers  from  the  exercise  of  their  commissions 
until  the  pleasure  of  congress  should  be  known. 

In  additional  instructions,  they  were  empowered 
and  directed  to  encourage  the  trade  of  Canada  with 
the  Indians,  and  to  assure  the  Canadians  that  their 


3 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


'^1 


foreign  commerce  sliould  be  put  on  the  suiiie  looting 
a8  that  of  the  united  colonies.* 


Armed  with  their  commission  and  these  instruc- 
tions, our  travellers  departed,  as  we  have  seen,  on  the 
2d  of  April,  from  the  city  of  New  York ;  but  it  was 
not  until  the  29th — nearly  a  montli  afterwards — that 
they  reached  their  destination  at  Montreal.  The 
details  of  this  expedition  will  be  found  in  the  accom- 
panying diary  of  Mr.  Carroll  of  CarroUton,  and  the 
reader  can  not  fail  to  be  delighted  with  the  patient 
and  interesting  narrative  of  the  journalist. 

It  seems  from  this  document,  and  the  correspond- 
ence of  Franklin,  that  the  Doctor  remained  in  Mon- 
treal until  the  11th  of  May, — a  few  days  only  after  the 
abandonment  of  Quebec  by  our  troops, — and  was 
joined,  on  the  following  morning,  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
John  Carroll  at  St.  John's.  Dr.  Franklin's  health 
had  suffered  greatly  by  the  journey,  and  he  soon 
perceived  that  no  efforts  of  his  could  avail  in  Canada. 
On  the  contrary,  he  saw  that  public  opinion  was 
setting  strongly  against  the  colonies,  that  the  army 
was  in  wretched  condition,  that  the  mouth  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  was  lost,  and  that  powerful  reinforcements 
would  probably  soon  arrive  from  abroad.  He  there- 
fore left  Canada  to  younger  and  more  hopeful  men, 
and  departed  with  his  clerical  friend,  who  had  been 
equally  unsuccessful. 

The  object  of  this  mission  was  doubtless  two-fold : 
first,  to  induce  the  Catholics  to  join  us,  or  remain 
neutral ;  and,  secondly,  to  make  such  military  de- 
monstrations as  would  secure  us  the  province  in  spite 

'•  See  these  iahUuclioUi:  at  large  lu  llic  Aiuei.  Aieiiives.  vol.  v,  p.  41 1 . 

4 


22 


INTUODUCTOKV    MEMUIK. 


I; 


0/  its  people.  To  the  first  of  these  objects  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Carroll  iinmcdlatcly  addressed  himself,  and  it 
seems  that  ail  his  diplomacy  proved  incflfectual  within 
ten  days  after  his  arrival  at  Montreal. 

"  While  the  commissioners  were  applying  them- 
selves,'' says  Mr.  Campbell  in  his  excellent  memoir 
now  publishing,*  "  with  their  characteristic  ardor,  to 
the  fulfilment  of  their  trust,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carroll, 
whose  exertions  were  of  a  diflferent  character,  was 
diligently  employed  in  visiting  the  clergy,  and  con- 
ferring with  individuals  among  them.  He  explained 
to  them  the  nature  of  the  differences  between  Eng- 
land and  the  united  colonies,  showing  that  the  resist- 
ance of  the  latter  was  caused  by  invasions  of  their 
charters,  and  violations  of  well  known  and  long 
recognised  principles  of  the  British  constitution.  To 
this  the  clergy  replied  that,  since  the  acquisition  of 
Canada  by  the  British  government,  its  inhabitants 
had  no  aggressions  to  complain  of ;  that,  on  the  con- 
trary, government  had  faithfully  complied  with  all 
the  stipulations  of  the  treaty,  and  had  in  fact  sanc- 
tioned and  protected  the  ancient  laws  and  customs  of 
Canada,  even  so  far  as  to  allow  the  French  judicial 
organization  and  forms  of  law  with  a  delicacy  that 
demanded  their  respect  and  gratitude.   The  Rev.  Mr. 

*  See  Life  and  Times  of  Archbishop  Carroll,  by  B.  U.  Campbell. — U. 
S.  Catholic  Magazine,  vol.  lii,  p.  244,  &.c. 

Mr.  Campbell  states,  in  a  letter  to  me,  that  "  the  part  taken  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Carroll  in  Canada  v?as  communicated  to  him  by  Dr.  Fen- 
wick,  bishop  of  Boston,  a  personal  friend  of  Archbishop  Carroll,  who, 
in  a  visit  to  Canada,  met  an  aged  Canadian  priest  who  had  seen  Dr. 
Carroll  there,  and  gave  Dr.  Fenwick  an  account  of  what  passed  between 
Dr.  Carroll  and  the  Canadian  clergy,  with  his  disapprobation  of  the 
course  of  Dr.  Carroll  in  endeavoring  to  enlist  the  Catholic  clergy  on  th- 
side  of  the  united  colonics." 


■  ; 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


38 


Carroll  then  represented  to  them  that  congress  had 
expressly  stipulated  that  if  the  Canadians  would 
unite  with  the  states  in  the  assertion  of  their  consti- 
tutional rights,  their  religion,  its  institutions,  and  the 
property  of  the  religious  orders  and  communities 
should  be  protected  and  guarantied ;  and  that  Catho- 
lics, instead  of  being  merely  toierated,  as  by  England, 
should  have  equal  rights  with  the  professors  of  all 
other  religions.  To  these  assurances  the  Canadians 
replied  that,  on  the  score  of  religious  liberty,  the 
British  government  had  left  them  nothing  to  complain 
of,  or  to  desire ;  that  they  were  then  in  possession  of 
all  the  ecclesiastical  property  which  they  had  held  at 
the  time  of  the  cession  of  Canada,  that  their  nume- 
rous and  important  missions  were  flourishing,  and  their 
religious  societies  felt  entire  confidence  in  the  protec- 
tion of  the  government,  whose  officers  carried  their 
courtesy  and  respect  so  far  as  to  pay  military  honors 
to  the  public  religious  exercises,  a  conspicuous  evi- 
dence of  which  was,  that  the  government  actually 
furnished  a  military  escort  to  accompany  the  grand 
processions  on  the  festival  of  Corpus  Christi.  And, 
therefore,  that  upon  the  well  established  principle 
that  allegiance  is  due  to  protection,  the  clergy 
could  not  teach  that  neutrality  was  consistent  with 
the  allegiance  due  to  such  ample  protection  as  Great 
Britain  had  shown  the  Catholics  of  Canada. 

"The  judicious  and  liberal  policy  of  the  British 
government  to  the  Catholics  had  succeeded  in  in- 
spiring them  with  sentiments  of  loyalty,  which  the 
conduct  of  the  people  and  the  public  bodies  of  some  of 
the  united  colonies  had  served  to  strengthen  and  con- 
firm. It  was  remembered,  and  stated  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 


k-: 


|H:3:' 


i 


In 


lijiiii  i 


mW  i 


24 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


Carroll,  that,  in  the  colonies  whose  liherality  he  was 
now  avouching,  the  Catholic  religion  had  not  been 
tolerated  hitherto.  Priests  wf-e  excluded  under 
severe  penalties,  and  Catholic  missionaries  among 
the  Indians  rudely  and  cruelly  treated.  His  explana- 
tion that  these  harsh  measures  were  the  result,  in  a 
great  part,  of  the  laws  of  the  royal  government,  did 
not  satisfy  the  Canadians  of  the  favorable  dispositions 
of  those  who,  t'^ough  prompt  and  valiant  in  the  de- 
fence of  their  political  rights,  had  never  manifested  a 
correspondent  sensibility  in  support  of  the  sacred 
rights  of  conscience  when  Catholics  were  concerned. 
The  friends  of  the  royal  government  had  assiduously 
pointed  out  inconsistencies  between  the  address  of  the 
continental  congress  to  the  people  of  Great  Britain 
and  that  addressed  to  the  people  of  Canada. 

"By  the  'Quebec  act,'  passed  by  parliament,  it 
was  provided  that  his  majesty's  subjects  professing 
the  religion  of  the  church  of  Rome,  of  and  in  the  said 
province  of  Quebec,  may  have,  hold,  and  enjoy  the 
free  exercise  of  the  religion  of  the  church  of  Rome, 
&c.,  and  that  the  clergy  of  the  said  church  may  hold, 
receive,  and  enjoy  their  accustomed  dues  and  rights, 
with  respect  to  such  persons  only  as  shall  prciess  the 
said  religion.  They  were  also  excused  from  taking 
the  oath  required  by  the  statute  of  I  Elizabeth,  or 
any  other  oath  substituted  by  other  acts  in  the  place 
thereof,  &c. 

"Unfortunately  the  address  of  congress  to  tho 
people  of  Great  Britain,  adopted  the  21st  of  October, 
1774,  had  used  the  following  language  in  reference 
to  the  '  Quebec  act.' 

Nor  can  we  suppress  our  astonishment  that  a 


<(  < 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


25 


Brilisli  parli.iment  should  ever  consent  to  establish 
in  that  country  a  religion  that  has  deluged  your  island 
in  blood,  and  dispersed  impiety,  bigotry,  persecution, 
murder,  and  rebellion  through  every  part  of  the 
world.'  And  *  that  we  think  the  legislature  of  Great 
Britain  is  not  authorized  by  the  constitution  to  estab- 
lish a  religion  fraught  with  sanguinary  and  impious 
tenets,'  &c. 

"After  sentiments  which  did  their  religion  so  much 
injustice,  the  Canadian  clergy  were  not  disposed  to 
receive  with  much  favor  the  following  declarations  of 
the  same  congress  in  their  'Address  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  province  of  Quebec'  '  We  are  too  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  liberality  of  sentiment  distinguish- 
ing your  nation,  to  imagine  that  difference  of  religion 
will  prejudice  you  against  a  hearty  amity  with  us. 
You  know  that  the  transcendent  nature  of  freedom 
elevates  those  who  unite  in  her  cause  above  all  such 
low-minded  infirmities.  The  Swiss  cantons  furnish  a 
memorable  proof  of  this  truth.  Their  union  is  com- 
posed of  Roman  Catholic  and  Protestant  states,  living 
in  the  utmost  concord  and  peace  with  one  another, 
and  thereby  enabled,  ever  since  they  bravely  vindi- 
cated their  freedom,  to  defy  and  defeat  every  tyrant 
that  has  invaded  them.'  "  * 


*  "  Nothing  can  exhibit  more  clearly  tiie  bad  effects,  upon  the  Cana- 
dians, of  the  address  to  the  British  peop  e,  than  the  following  contempo- 
raneous letter,  comprised  among  the  revolutionary  documents  recently 
published  by  order  of  congress. 

"  Extract  of  a  letter  from  Canada,  dated  Montreal,  March  24,  1775. 

"'The  address  from  the  continental  congress  attracted  the  notice  of 
some  of  the  principal  Canadians;  it  was  soon  translated  into  very  tole- 
rable French.  The  decent  manner  in  which  the  religious  matters  were 
tour'ied,  the  encomiums  on  the  French  nation,  Haltered  a  people  fond  of 
compliments.    They  begged  'he  translator,  as  f  e  had  succecJed  so  well. 


2G 


iNTKOnUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


ff: 


ill..'  ■■■ 


\m 

■  II  ■ 


m 


I  I 


The  Rev.  Mr.  Can  oil,  having  thus  failed  in  his  part 
of  the  mission,  joined  Dr.  Franklin  and  returned  to 
the  south.  Meanwhile,  however,  Messrs.  Chase  and 
Carroll  of  Cariollton  had  been  busy  with  the  military 
part  of  their  embassy.  On  the  day  after  their  arrival 
at  Montreal  they  attended  a  council  of  war,*  in  which 
it  was  resolved  to  fortify  Jaques  Cartier, — the  Falls 
of  Richelieu,  an  important  post  between  Q,uebec  and 
Montreal, — and  to  build  six  gondolas  at  Chamblay,  of 
a  proper  size  to  carry  heavy  cannon,  and  to  be  under 
the  direction  of  Arnold.  But  disasters  thickened 
around  the  insurgents.  The  smallpox  had  broken 
out  among  the  troops,  and  was  making  deep  inroads 
upon  their  scanty  numbers.  The  Canadians  showed 
no  symptoms  of  sympathy  with  the  colonists,  and,  to 
crown  the  whole,  the  worst  news  was  soon  received 
from  the  besiegers  at  Q,uebec. 

On  the  1st  of  May  General  Thomas  had  taken 
command  at  the  capital,  and  found  by  the  returns 
that,  out  of  nineteen  hundred  men,  there  were  not 
more  than  a  thousand,  including  officers,  who  were  fit 
for  duty ;  all  the  rest  w  ere  invalids,  chiefly  afllicted 
with  smallpox.     There  were  several  posts  to  be  de- 


ii 


to  try  his  hand  on  that  addressed  to  Great  Britain.  He  had  equal  suc- 
cess in  this,  and  read  his  performance  to  a  numerous  audience.  But 
when  he  came  to  that  part  which  treats  of  tiie  new  modelling  of  the 
province,  draws  a  picture  of  the  Catholic  religion,  and  Canadian  man- 
ners, they  could  not  contain  their  resentment, nor  express  it  but  in  broken 
curses.  'O  the  perfidious  double-faced  congress !  Let  us  bless  and  obey 
our  benevolent  prince,  whose  humanity  is  consistent,  and  extends  to  all 
religions ;  'et  us  abhor  all  who  would  seduce  us  from  our  loyalty,  by 
acts  that  would  dishonor  a  .Tesuit,  and  whose  addresses,  like  their  re- 
solves, are  destructive  of  their  own  objects.'  " — Ametican  Archives,  vol. 
ii,  p.  231." 

■  See  American  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  I IGO. 


INTKODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


27 


fended  by  this  trifling  force,  and  at  sucli  distances 
from  each  other  that  not  more  than  three  hundred 
men  could  be  rallied  to  the  relief  of  any  one  of  them, 
should  it  be  assailed  by  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy. 
Besides  this,  there  were  but  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  of  powder,  and  only  six  days'  provisions  in  the 
camp,  whilst  their  French  neighbors  were  so  disaf- 
fected towards  the  colonists  that  supplies  were  pro- 
cured with  the  greatest  difficulty. 

On  the  fifth,  a  council  of  war  was  held,  and  it  was 
resolved  to  remove  the  invalids,  artillery,  batteaux, 
and  stores  higher  up  the  river,  so  as  to  prevent  our 
being  cut  off  by  water  from  the  interior  posts  in  the 
event  of  the  arrival  of  reinforcements  to  the  enemy. 
But,  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  intelligence  was 
received  in  the  American  camp  that  fifteen  ships 
were  forty  leagues  below  Quebec,  hastening  up  the 
river ;  and  early  next  morning  five  of  them  hove  in 
sight. 

General  Thomas*  immediately  gave  orders  to  em- 
bark the  artillery  and  sick  in  the  batteaux,  whilst 
the  enemy  began  to  land  their  troops.  About  noon 
a  body  of  the  British,  a  thousand  strong,  formed  into 
two  divisions  in  columns  of  six  deep,  and  supported 
with  a  train  of  six  pieces  of  cannon,  attacktu.  jv.r 
sentinels  and  main  guard.  Our  officers  made  a  stand 
for  a  moment,  on  the  plains,  with  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  men  and  one  field  piece  only,  when  the  order 
for  retreat  was  given,  and  our  encampment  was  pre- 
cipitately deserted.  In  the  confusion  all  our  cannon 
and  ammunition  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands,  and  it  is 
believed  that  about  two  hundred  of  our  invalids  were 

*He  died  of  smallpox  aooii  al'ler  ihc  lelicat  to  Soiel. 


28 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


m 


I'' 

If  ! 


made  prisoners.  Following  the  course  of  the  river, 
our  broken  army  fled  towards  Montreal,  and,  halting 
for  a  while  at  Deschambault,  finally  retreated  along 
the  St.  Lawrence,  until  they  made  a  stand  at  Sorel.* 
And  thus  Quebec  was  lost  for  ever  to  the  colonists. 
Meantime  the  commissioners  had  kept  up  a  faithful 
correspondence  with  congress,  and  they  continued  it 
until  their  departure  from  Canada.  Their  manu- 
script letters,  preserved  in  the  department  at  Wash- 
ington, are  dated  on  the  1st,  8th,  10th,  16th,  and  27th 
of  May.t  The  last  of  these,  perhaps,  is  the  most 
interesting  of  the  series,  and,  as  it  gives  the  results  of 
their  examinations,  we  shall  let  it  speak  for  itself, 
especially  as  the  ''  written  report"  made  to  congress 
by  Messrs.  Chase  and  Carroll,  on  the  12th  of  June, 
1776,  could  not  be  found  in  Washington  even  after 
the  most  diligent  search. 

"  Montreal,  27th  May,  1776. 
"  The  Commissioners  in  Canada 

"  To  THE  President  of  Congress  : 


# 


* 


* 


* 


# 


* 


* 


"  In  our  last  we  informed  you  of  the  deplorable 
state  of  the  army ;  matters  have  not  mended  since. 
\Vv  went  to  the  mouth  of  Sorel  last  week,  where  we 
found  all  things  in  confusion  ;  there  is  little  or  no  dis- 
cipline among  your  troops,  nor  can  any  be  kept  up 
while  the  practice  of  enlisting  for  a  twelvemonth  con- 
tinues; the  general  oflicers  are  all  of  this  opinion. 


*See  the  letters  of  Geuenil  Thomas  to  the  Coniraissioners,  May  7ili, 
1776  J  and  of  General  Aruohl  to  General  Schuyler,  May  10,  177G.— 
.Imcrican  Archives,  vol.  vi,  pp.  451 ,  152,  aboul  to  be  publiskcd. 

f  See  American  Archives,  vols,  v  and  vi. 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


29 


Your  army  is  badly  paid ;  mid  so  exhausted  is  your 
credit  that  even  a  cart  can  not  be  procured  without 
ready  money  or  force.  We  will  give  you  an  instance 
of  the  lowness  of  your  credit.  Three  barrels  of  gun- 
powder were  ordered  from  Chamblay  to  Montreal;  this 
powder  was  brought  from  Chamblay  to  a  ferry,  about 
three  miles  off,  where  it  would  have  remained  had 
we  not  luckily  passed  by,  and,  seeing  the  distress  of 
the  officer,  undertaken  to  pay  ready  and  hard  mone- 
for  the  hire  of  a  cart  to  convey  it  to  Longueil.  The 
army  is  in  a  distressed  condition,  and  is  in  want  of 
the  most  necessary  articles — meat,  bread,  tents,  shoes, 
stockings,  shirts,  &c.  The  greatest  part  of  those  who 
fled  from  Quebec  left  all  their  baggage  behind  them, 
or  it  was  plundered  by  those  whose  times  were  out, 
and  have  since  left  Canada.  We  are  informed  by 
Colonel  Allen  that  the  men  who,  from  pretended  indis- 
positioHj  had  been  excused  from  doing  duty,  were  the 
foremost  in  the  flight,  and  carried  off  such  burdens  on 
their  backs  as  hearty  and  stout  men  would  labor  under. 
"With  difficulty  three  hundred  tents,  and  about 
two  hundred  camp-kettles,  were  procured  here,  and 
sent  to  the  Sorel  for  the  use  of  the  army,  and  were 
delivered,  as  we  were  informed,  to  one  Major  Fuller, 
who  acted  in  the  room  of  Mr.  Campbell,  deputy  quar- 
termaster-general, who  had  joined  the  army  at  the 
Sorel  but  a  day  or  two  before  our  arrival,  where, 
among  other  instances  of  mismanagement,  we  give 
the  following :  Colonel  Nicholson^ s  regiment,  consist- 
ing only  of  one  hundred  men,  received  thirty  tents  and 
thirty-one  camp-kettles;  Colonel  Portcr^s  legiment, 
not  exceeding  that  number,  received  fifty-six  tents 
and  thirty-three  kettles. 
5 


ao 


INTRODUCTORY   MEMOIR. 


m 


"  Your  army  in  Canada  do  not  exceed  four  thou- 
sand; above  four  hundred  are  sick  with  different  dis- 
orders ;  thrre-fourths  of  the  army  have  not  had  the 
smallpox.  The  greater  part  of  Greatoh's,  Bond^s, 
and  BurrelVs  regiments  have  beer  lately  inoculated. 
There  are  about  eight  tons  of  gunpowder  in  the  colony. 
To  evince  the  great  distress  we  are  reduced  to  for 
want  of  bread,  we  must  inform  you  that  we  were 
obliged  to  buy  thirty  loaves  of  bread  of  our  baker  to 
feed  Colonel  De  Haas^  detachment,  which  entered 
this  town  Friday  night,  on  their  way  to  join  General 
Arnold  at  La  Chine,  and  who  could  not  be  supplied 
by  the  commissary.  Such  is  our  extreme  want  of 
flour  that  we  were  yesterday  obliged  to  seize  by  force 
fifteen  barrels  to  supply  this  garrison  with  bread. 
Previous  to  this  seizure  a  general  order  was  issued  to 
the  town-major  to  wait  on  the  merchants,  or  others 
having  provisions  or  merchandise  for  sale,  requesting 
a  delivery  of  what  our  troops  are  in  immediate  want 
of,  and  requiring  him  to  give  a  receipt,  expressing 
the  quantity  delivered ;  for  the  payment  of  which  the 
faith  of  the  united  colonies  is  pledged  by  your  com- 
missioners. Nothing  but  the  most  urgent  necessity 
can  justify  such  harsh  measures ;  but  men  with  arms 
in  their  hands  will  not  starve  when  provisions  can  be 
obtained  by  force.  To  prevent  a  general  plunder, 
which  might  end  in  the  massacre  of  your  troops,  and 
of  many  of  the  inhabitants,  we  have  been  constrained 
to  advise  the  general  to  take  this  step.  We  can  not 
conceal  our  concern  that  six  thousand  men  should  be 
ordered  to  Canada,  without  taking  care  to  have 
magazines  formed  for  their  subsistence,  cash  to  pay 
them,  or  to  pay  the  inhabitants  for  their  labor,  in 


ii 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


:u 


transporting  the  baggac^e,  stores,  and  provisions  of 
the  army.  We  can  not  find  words  strong  enough  to 
describe  our  miserable  situation ;  you  will  have  a 
faint  idea  of  it  if  you  figure  to  yourself  an  army 
broken  and  disheartened,  half  of  it  under  inoculation, 
or  under  other  diseases ;  soldiers  without  pay,  with- 
out discipline,  and  altogether  reduced  to  live  from 
hand  to  mouth,  depending  on  the  scanty  and  precari- 
ous supplies  of  a  few  half-starved  cattle,  and  trifling 
quantities  of  flour,  which  have  hitherto  been  picked 
up  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

"  Your  soldiers  grumble  for  their  pay ; — if  they  re- 
ceive it  they  will  not  be  benefited,  as  it  will  not  pro- 
cure them  the  necessaries  they  stand  in  need  of 
Your  military  chest  contains  but  eleven  thousand 
paper  dollars.  You  are  indebted  to  your  troops  treble 
that  sum,  and  to  the  inhabitants  above  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollars.* 


* 


* 


* 


* 


* 


* 


* 


"  Samuel  Chase, 
Charles  Carroll  of  CarroUton" 

It  is  impossible  to  fancy  a  picture  of  more  abject 
wretchedness  than  is  given  *n  this  graphic  letter  of 
the  commissioners,  and  it  well  prepares  us  for  the 
consequences  that  ensued.  Having  done  all  in  their 
power  to  maintain  our  authority  in  Canada,  Messrs. 
Chase  and  Carroll  took  their  departure  from  Mon- 
treal on  the  29th  of  May,  to  be  present  at  a  council 
of  war  of  the  general  and  field  officers,  at  Chamblay. 
On  the  30th  it  was  resolved  by  this  council  to  main- 
tain possession  of  the  strip  of  country  "between  the 


American  Archive;!,  vol.  vi.  pp.  589,  f>'.K». 


32 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


^!i 


m 


i 
t 


tii- 


St.  Lawrence  and  Sorel,  if  possible,  and,  in  the  mean- 
time, to  dispose  matters  so  as  to  make  an  orderly 
retreat  out  of  Canada.''^* 

On  the  3 1st  the  commissioners  passed  from  Cham- 
blay  to  St.  John's,  where  every  thing  was  in  confu- 
sion ;  and  on  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  June  they 
found  General  Sullivan,  who  had  arrived  with  four- 
teen hundred  men  during  the  night.  Next  day  they 
took  leave  of  the  general,  and  sailed  from  St.  John's 
on  their  journey  homewards. 

Thus  ended  the  labors  of  the  commissioners.  They 
returned  to  Philadelphia,  reported  to  congress,  and 
congress  voted  to  send  new  troops,  and  to  supply 
them  properly.!  But,  in  the  meantime,  the  fate  of 
our  efforts  in  Canada  was  sealed.  The  last  stand 
was  made  by  General  Sullivan :  "  Yet,"  says  Mr. 
Sparks,  "  it  was  more  resolute  in  purpose  than  suc- 
cessful in  execution  ;  the  whole  army  was  compelled 
precipitately  to  evacuate  Canada,  and  retire  over  the 
lake  to  Crown  Point. 

"  Montreal  was  held  to  the  last  moment.  Arnold 
then  drew  off  his  detachment,  with  no  small  risk  of 
being  intercepted  by  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  and  proceeded 
to  St.  John'.s,  making,  as  General  Sullivan  wrote,  'a 
very  prudent  and  judicious  retreat,  with  an  enemy 
close  at  his  heels.'  He  had,  two  days  before,  been  at 
St.  John's,  directed  an  encampment  to  be  enclosed, 
and  ordered  the  frame  of  a  vessel  then  on  the  stocks 
to  be  taken  to  pieces,  the  timbers  immbered,  and  the 
whole  to  be  sent  to  Crown  Point.  General  Sullivan 
soon  arrived  with  the  rear  of  his  retreating  army,  and 

*  Sep  Carroll's  Journal  of  those  dates. 

fSee  Journals  ol"  Congress  for  June,  1776.  vol.  ii,  p.  'MS,  ed.  of  1800. 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


33 


preparations  were  made  for  an  immediate  embarka- 
tion. To  this  work  Arnold  applied  himself  with  his 
usual  activity  and  vigilance,  remaining  behind  until 
he  had  seen  every  boat  leave  the  shore  but  his  own. 
He  then  mounted  his  horse,  attended  by  Wilkinson, 
his  aid-de-camp,  and  rode  back  two  miles,  when  they 
discovered  the  enemy's  advanced  division  in  full 
march  under  General  Burgoyne.  They  gazed  at,  or, 
in  military  phrase,  reconnoitred  it  for  a  short  time, 
and  then  hastened  back  to  St.  John's.  A  boat  being 
in  readiness  to  receive  them,  the  horses  were  stripped 
and  shot,  the  men  were  ordered  on  board,  and  Arnold, 
reAising  all  assistance,  pushed  off  the  boat  with  his 
own  hands ;  *  thus,'  says  Wilkinson,  *  indulging  the 
vanity  of  being  the  last  man  who  embarked  from  the 
shores  of  the  enerny.'  "  * 

The  commencement  of  this  attack  upon  Canada 
was  attended  with  brilliant  success.  The  early  efforts 
of  Allen  and  Arnold  at  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point 
are  remarkable  for  daring  courage.  The  career  of 
Montgomery  from  the  Isle  Aux  Noix  to  Quebec,  and 
his  storming  of  that  stronghold,  rank  conspicuously 
among  military  exploits.  The  march  of  Arnold 
through  the  wilderness  is  characterized  by  dangers 
and  hardships  that  would  have  appalled  a  less  resolute 
soldier.  And  the  siege  of  Quebec  with  the  shadow 
of  an  army  throughout  a  Canadian  winter ;  the  diplo- 
macy of  congress  by  its  commissioners ;  and  last, 
though  not  least,  the  honorable  retreat  of  Sullivan 
and  Arnold,  hotly  pursued  as  they  were  by  Burgoyne 
to  Sorel,  Ciiamblay,  and  Isle  Aux  Noix, — all  these 
deserve  to  be  remembered,  by  the  student  of  this 
*  Sparks'  Life  of  Arnold,  p.  62. 


34 


INTRODUCTORY   MEMOIR. 


episode  on  our  revolutionary  struggles,  as  reflecting 
honor  on  the  gallant  men  who  retreated  from  those 
extremities  of  the  British  possessions  to  protect  the 
vitals  of  the  land  in  the  approaching  war  of  inde- 
pendence. 


In  concluding  this  introductory  sketch,  the  editor, 
to  whom  the  Maryland  Historical  Society  has  confided 
so  pleasing  a  task,  deems  it  useless  to  add  a  single 
line  by  way  of  biography.  The  life  of  Charles  Car- 
roll OF  Carrollton  has  been  so  frequently  written, 
that  the  people  are  familiar  with  it. 

The  Diary  which  is  now  published  was  presented 
by  Mr.  Carroll  to  his  grand-daughter,  Mrs.  MacTavish, 
in  1823,  and  was  deposited  by  her  last  year  among 
the  archives  of  our  society. 

It  is  believed  that  this  journal  will  be  deeply  inte- 
resting to  those  who  delight  to  recur  to  the  olden 
times,  and  to  mark  the  improvement  made  in  our 
country  within  seventy  years.  The  distance  that  Mr. 
Carroll  passed  over  in  a  month,  may  now  be  accom- 
plished with  ease  in  a  couple  of  days,  whilst  the  wil- 
derness he  traversed  has  come  to  "bloom  like  a 
rose."*     It  is  by  no  means  the  least  agreeable  asso- 

*  In  comparing  the  past  with  the  present,  it  may  not  be  uninteresting 
to  record  the  fact  that,  in  the  year  1845,  persons  may  travel  from — 

New  York  to  Albany,  150  milps,  by  first  class  steamer,  for $     50 

Albany  to  White  Hall,  by  steamer  and  packet  boat,  77  miles,  -  -     1  13 

White  Hall  to  St.  John's  by  steamer,  150  miles,    -       25 

St.  John's  to  La  Prairie,  by  railway,  15  miles, 50 

La  Prairie  to  Montreal,  by  steamer,  9  miles, 50 

Time  two  days.    In  all,  401  miles,  cost $2  88 


50 
1  13 

25 
50 
50 


INTRODUCTORY    MEMOIR. 


35 


elation  with  this  valuable  relic,  that  its  author  was 
one  of  the  fifty-five  who,  a  month  afterwards,  signed 
that  memorable  document  whose  pledges  produced 
this  magical  change  on  the  face  of  our  country,  and 
on  the  happiness  of  its  people. 

Baltimore,  Ist  July,  1845 


JOURNAL 


or 


CHAELES  CAllROLL  OF  CARROLLTON, 


DURING     HIS 


VISIT  TO  CANADA,   IN  1776, 


as  one  of  tl)e  Commboionera  from  €on^xtB8. 


2d  April,  1776.  Left  New  York  at  5  o'clock,  P.  M.; 
sailed  up  North  river,  or  Hudson's,  that  afternoon, 
about  thirteen  miles.  About  one  o'clock  in  the  night 
were  awaked  by  the  firing  of  cannon ;  heard  three 
great  guns  distinctly  from  the  Asia ;  soon  saw  a  great 
fire,  which  we  presumed  to  be  a  house  on  Bedloe's 
island,  set  on  fire  by  a  detachment  of  our  troops. 
Intelligence  had  been  received  that  the  enemy  were 
throwing  up  intrenchments  on  that  island,  and  it  had 
been  determined  by  our  generals  to  drive  them  off. 
Dr.  Franklin  went  upon  deck,  and  saw  waving 
flashes  of  light  appearing  suddenly  and  disappearing, 
which  he  conjectured  to  be  the  fire  of  musquetry, 
although  he  could  not  hear  the  report. 

3d,  A  bad,  rainy  day ;  wind  north-east ;  quite  ahead. 

A.  M.,  eleven  o'clock,  opposite  to  Colonel  Phillips's  (a 

tory) ;  pretty  situation  near  the  river ;  garden  sloping 

down  to  it;  house  has  a  pretty  appearance:  a  church 

6 


38 


JOURNAL    OF 


at  a  little  distance  on  the  south  sir'  ?,  surrounded  by 
cedar  trees.  T!ie  banks  of  the  river,  on  the  western 
side,  exceedingly  steep  and  rocky;  pine  trees  grow- 
inc  amidst  the  rocks.  On  the  eastern,  or  New  York 
side,  the  banks  are  not  near  so  steep,  they  decline 
pretty  gradually  to  the  water's  edge.  The  river  is 
straight  hitherto.  About  five  o'clock  wind  breezed 
up  from  the  south ;  got  under  way,  and  ran  with  a 
pretty  easy  gale  as  far  as  the  hii^hlands,  forty  miles 
from  New  York.  The  iiver  here  is  greatly  con- 
tracted, and  the  lands  on  each  side  very  lofty.  When 
we  got  into  this  strait  tho  wind  increased,  and  blew 
in  violent  flaws  ;  in  doul  ling  oLe  of  these  steep  crag- 
gy points  we  were  in  danger  of  running  on  the  rocko ; 
endeavored  to  double  the  cape  called  St.  Anthony's 
nose,  but  all  our  efforts  proved  ineffectual;  obliged 
to  return  some  way  back  in  the  straits  to  seek  shel- 
ter ;  in  doing  th:3,  our  mainsail  was  split  to  pieces  by 
a  sudden  and  most  violent  blast  of  wind  off  the  moun- 
tains. Came  to  anchor:  blew  a  perfect  storm  all 
night  and  all  day  the  fourth.  Remained  all  day  (the 
fourth)  in  Thunder  Hill  bay,  about  half  a  mile  below 
Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose,  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
Thunder  Hill.  Our  crew  were  employed  all  this  day 
in  repairing  the  mainsail.  The  country  round  about 
this  bay  has  a  wild  and  romantic  appearanc  ;  the 
hills  are  almost  perpendicularly  steep,  and  covered 
with  rocks,  and  trees  of  a  small  size.  The  hill  called 
St.  Anthony's  nose  is  said  to  be  full  cf  sulphur.  I 
make  no  doubt  this  place  has  experienced  some  vio- 
lent convulsion  from  subterraneous  fire  :  the  steepness 
of  the  hills,  their  correspondence,  the  narrowness  of 
the  river,  and  its  depth,  all  confirm  me  in  this  opinion. 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON 


ai) 


0th.  Wind  at  north-east,  mainsail  not  yet  repaired. 
Sailed  about  twelve  o'clock  from  Thunder  Hill  bay ; 
just  before  we  doubled  Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose,  Mr. 
Chase  and  I  landed  to  examine  a  beautiful  fall  of- 
water.  Mr.  Chase,  very  .apprehensive  of  the  kg  of 
mutton  being  boiled  too  mdch,  impatient  to  get  on 
board ;  wind  breezing  up,  we  had  near  a  mile  to  row 
to  overtake  the  vessel.  As  soon  as  w^e  doubled  Cape 
St.  Anthony's  nose  a  beautiful  prospect  opened  on  ua. 
The  river,  from  this  place  to  Constitution  fort,  built 
on  Marbler's  rock,  forms  a  fine  canal,  surrounded  w  ith 
high  hills  of  various  shapes ;  one,  in  particular,  resem- 
bles a  sugar  loaf,  and  is  so  called.  About  three  miles 
from  Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose  is  another  beautiful 
cascade,  called  "the  Buttermilk."  This  is  formed  by 
a  rivulet  which  flows  from  a  lake  on  the  top  of  a 
neighboring  mountain ;  this  lake,  we  were  told, 
abounds  with  trout  and  perch.  Arrived  about  five 
o'clock  at  Constitution  fart ;  Mr.  Chase  went  with  me 
on  shore  to  visit  the  fort;  it  is  built  on  a  rock  called 
M  irbler's  rock :  the  river  at  this  place  makes  a  sud- 
den bend  to  the  west ;  the  battery  (for  it  does  not 
deserve  the  name  of  a  fort,  being  quite  open  on  the 
north-east  side)  has  two  flanks,  one  fronting  the 
south,  and  the  other  the  west ; — on  the  south  flank 
were  planted  thirteen  six,  and  one  nine  pounder;  on 
the  west  flank,  seven  nine  pounders  and  one  six 
pounder,  but  there  were  no  cannoniers  in  the  for^, 
and  only  one  hundred  and  two  men  fit  to  do  duty ; — 
they  intend  to  erect  another  battery  on  an  eminence 
called  'iravel  hill,  which  will  command  vessels  coming 
up  the  river  as  soon  as  they  double  Cape  St.  Anthony's 
nose.     A  little  above  this  cape  a  battery  is  projected 


40 


JOURNAL    OF 


to  annoy  the  enemy's  vessels,  to  be  called  Fort  Mont- 
gomery ;  they  intend  another  battery  lower  down  the 
river,  and  a  little  below  Cape  St.  Anthony's  nose.  In 
the  highlands  are  many  convenient  spv.ts  to  construct 
batteries  on  ;  but,  in  order  to  make  them  answer  the 
intended  purpose,  weighty  metal  should  be  placed  on 
these  batteries,  and  skilful  gunners  should  be  engaged 
to  serve  the  artillery.  About  nine  o'clock  at  night,  the 
tide  making,  we  weighed  anchor,  and  came  to  again 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  sixth  instant. 
The  river  is  remarkably  deep  all  the  way  through 
the  highlands,  and  the  tide  rapid.  When  we  came 
to  an  anchor  off  Constitution  fort  we  found  the  depth 
of  water  above  thirty  fathoms.  These  highlands 
present  a  number  of  romantic  views,  the  steep  hills 
overshadow  the  water,  and  in  some  places  the  rocks, 
should  they  be  rolled  down,  would  fall  into  tViC  river 
several  feet  from  the  banks  on  which  they  stood. 
This  river  seems  intended  by  nature  to  open  a  com- 
munication betwee»i  Canada  and  the  province  of  New 
York  by  water,  and,  by  some  great  convulsion,  a 
passage  has  been  opened  to  the  waters  of  Hudson's 
river  through  the  highlands.  These  are  certainly  a 
spur  of  the  Endless  mountains. 

6th.  Weighed  anchor  about  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning  :  had  a  fine  breeze ;  the  country  more  culti- 
vated above  the  highlands ;  passed  several  mills,  all 
of  them  overshot;  saw  two  frigates  on  the  stocks 
at  Pokeepsay,  building  for  the  service  of  the  United 
Colonies;  saw  a  great  many  lime-kilns  in  our  run  this 
morning,  on  both  ides  of  the  river,  the  banks  of 
which  begin  to  slope  more  gradually  to  the  water's 
edge.    We  wrote  to  General  Heath,  from  off  Consti- 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


41 


tution  fort,  and  sent  the  letter  to  the  comnrtanding 
officer  of  the  fort,  with  orders  to  forward  it  by  ex- 
press immediately  to  the  general  at  New  York.  The 
purport  of  the  letter  was  to  inform  the  general  of  the 
very  defenceless  condition  of  the  fort,  that  measures 
might  be  immediately  taken  to  put  it  in  a  better  pos- 
ture of  defence.  If  Howe  was  a  man  of  enterprice, 
and  knew  of  the  weak  state  of  the  fort,  he  might  take 
it  in  its  present  situation  with  sixty  men,  and  without 
cannon.  He  might  land  his  party  a  little  below  the 
fort  on  the  east  side,  march  over  a  aarsh,  and  attack 
it  on  the  back  part.  It  was  proposed  to  erect  a  bat- 
tery of  some  cannon  to  sweep  this  marsh ;  but  this, 
and  also  the  battery  above  mentioned,  on  Gravel  hill, 
'  ave  been  strangely  neglected,  and  nothing  as  yet 
i»as  been  done  towards  constructing  either  of  these 
batteries,  more  than  levelling  the  top  of  Gravel  hill. 
Six  o'clock,  P.  M.,  came  to  anchor  four  miles  from 
Albany ;  had  a  most  glorious  run  this  day,  and  a 
most  pleasant  sail;  including  our  run  in  the  night, 
we  ran  this  day  ninety-six  miles — Constitution  fort 
being  one  hundred  miles  from  Albany,  and  sixty  from 
New  York.  We  passed  several  country  houses  pleas- 
antly situated  on  the  banks,  or,  rather,  eminences 
commanding  the  banks  of  the  river ;  the  grounds  we 
coul  ;  -irviover  from  the  vessel  did  not  appear  to  be 
hip"! '  Ljcroved.  We  had  a  distant  view  of  the 
KatsK  '■ '  aiountains.  These  are  said  to  be  some  of 
the  highe&t  in  North  America ;  they  had  a  pleasing 
appearance  ;  the  weather  being  somewhat  hazy,  they 
appeared  like  bluish  clcjds  at  a  great  distance ; 
when  we  were  nearest  to  them,  they  were  distant 
about  ten  miles.     Vast  tracts  of  land  on  each  side  of 


42 


JOURNAL   OF 


IF 


Hudson's  river  are  held  by  the  proprietaries,  or,  as 
they  are  here  styled,  the  Patrnncs  of  manors.  One  of 
the  Ransalaers  has  a  grant  of  twenty  miles  on  each 
side  of  the  river.  Mr.  Robert  R.  Livingston  informed 
me  that  he  held  three  hundred  thousand  acres.  I  am 
told  there  are  but  ten  original  patentees  between 
Albany  and  the  highlands.  The  descendants  of  the 
first  proprietaries  of  these  immense  tracts  still  keep 
them  in  possession ;  necessity  has  not  as  yet  forced 
any  of  them  to  sell  any  part. 

7th.  Weighed  anchor  this  morning  about  six  o'clock. 
Wind  fair :  having  i  .  -^ed  over  the  overslaw,  had  a 
distinct  view  of  Albai.  ';stant  about  two  miles: — 
landed  at  Albany  at  halt  ^ast  seven  o'clock  ;  received, 
at  landing,  by  General  Schuyler,*  who,  understand- 
ing we  were  coming  up,  came  from  his  house,  about 
a  mile  out  of  town,  to  receive  us  and  invite  us  to  dine 
with  him;  he  behaved  with  great  civility;  lives  in 
pretty  style;  has  two  daughters  (Betsy  and  Peggy), 

*  General  Philip  Schuyler,  who  was  one  of  our  distinguished  revolu- 
tionary soldiers,  was  born  in  1733,  at  Albany.  He  entered  the  army  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  French  war  in  1755,  and  accompanied  Sir  W.  John- 
son to  Fort  Edward  and  Lake  George,  After  the  peace  of  1763,  he 
undertook  several  civil  employments.  On  the  25th  of  June,  1775, 
(whilst  a  delegate  to  the  continental  congress,)  he  was  appointed  third 
major  general  of  the  American  army ;  and  was  forthwith  charged  by 
Washington  with  the  command  of  our  forces  in  the  province  of  N.  York. 
Here  and  in  Canada  he  served  the  country  with  great  abihty,  until  the 
order  was  given  to  abandon  that  province.  After  this  he  displayed  his 
patriotism  and  usefulness  in  various  public  employments  of  a  military 
character;  and  in  April,  1779,  congress,  after  his  repeated  solicitations, 
accepted  the  resignation  of  his  command  in  the  army.  The  benefit  of 
his  enlightened  judgment  and  civil  services  was  not  denied  to  his  coun- 
try during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  His  last  few  years  were  passed  in 
dignified  retirement;  and,  after  suffering  the  most  poignant  anguish 
from  the  distressing  fate  of  his  beloved  son-in-law,  Gener.'?l  Hamilton, 
he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  on  the  ISlh  of  November,  18U4. 


CIIAKLES    CARKULL    i)F    CAKKOLLTON. 


4:i 


lively,  agreeable,  black  eyed  girls.  Albany  is  situated 
partly  on  a  level,  and  partly  on  the  slope  of  a  hill,  or 
rising  ground,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  Vessels 
drawing  eight  and  nine  feet  water  may  come  to 
Albany,  ».nd  five  miles  even  beyond  it,  at  this  season 
of  the  year,  when  the  waters  are  out.  The  fort  is  in 
a  ruinous  condition,  and  not  a  single  gun  mounted  on 
it.  There  are  more  houses  in  this  town  than  in  An- 
napolis, and  I  believe  it  to  be  much  more  populous. 
The  citizens  chiefly  speak  Dutch,  being  mostly  the 
descendants  of  Dutchmen ;  but  the  English  language 
and  manners  are  getting  ground  apace. 

9th.  Left  Albany  early  this  morning,  and  travelled 
in  a  wagon  in  company  with  Mrs.  Schuyler,  her  two 
daughters,  and  Generals  Schuyler  and  Thomas.  At 
six  miles  from  Albany  I  quitted  the  wagon  and  got 
on  horse-back  to  accompany  the  generals  to  view  the 
falls  on  the  Mohawk's  river,  called  the  Cohooes.  The 
perpendicular  fall  is  seventy-four  feet,  and  the  breadth 
of  the  river  at  this  place,  as  measured  by  General 
Schuyler,  is  one  thousand  feet.  The  fall  is  conside- 
rably above  one  hundred  feet,  taken  from  the  first 
ripple  or  still  water  above  the  perpendicular  fall. 
The  river  was  swollen  with  the  melting  of  the  snows 
and  rains,  and  rolled  over  the  frightful  precipice  an 
impetuous  torrent.  The  foam,  the  irregularities  in 
the  fall  broken  by  projecting  rocks,  and  the  deafening 
noise,  presented  a  sublime  but  terrifying  spectacle. 
At  fifty  yards  from  the  place  the  water  dropped  from 
the  trees,  as  it  does  after  a  plentiful  shower,  they  being 
as  wet  with  the  ascending  vapor  as  they  commonly 
are  after  a  smart  rain  of  some  continuance.  The 
bottoms  adjoining  the  river  Hudson  are  fine  lands, 


44 


JOURNAL   OF 


:"y 


and  appeared  to  be  well  cultivated;  most  of  them 
that  we  passed  through  were  in  wheat,  which,  though 
commonly  overflowed  in  the  spring,  we  were  informed 
hy  our  driver,  suffered  no  hurt,  but  were  rather  im- 
proved by  the  inundation.  We  arrived  in  the  evening, 
a  little  before  sunset,  at  Saratoga,  the  seat  of  General 
Schuyler,  distant  from  Albany  thirty-tw^o  miles.  We 
spent  the  whole  day  in  the  journey,  occasioned  by 
the  badness  of  the  roads,  and  the  delay  the  wagons 
met  with  in  crossing  two  ferries.  The  roads  at  this 
season  of  the  year  are  generally  bad,  but  now  worse 
than  ever,  owing  to  the  great  number  of  wagons  em- 
ployed in  carrying  the  baggage  of  the  regiments 
marching  into  Canada,  and  supplies  to  the  army  in 
that  country.  General  Schuyler  informed  me  that 
an  uninterrupted  water-carriage  between  New  York 
and  Quebec  might  be  perfected  at  fifty  thousand 
pounds  stirlmg  expense,  by  means  of  locks,  and  a 
small  canal  cut  from  a  branch  that  runs  into  Wood 
creek,  and  the  head  of  a  branch  which  falls  into 
Hudson's  river ;  the  distance  is  not  more  than  three 
miles.  The  river  Richelieu,  or  Sorel,  is  navigable 
for  batteaux  from  the  lake  Champlain  into  the  St. 
Lav/rence.  The  rapids,  below  St.  John's,  are  not 
so  considerable  as  to  obstruct  the  navigation  of  such 
vessels. 

The  lands  about  Saratoga  are  very  good,  particu- 
larly the  bottom  lands.  Hudson's  river  runs  within 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  house,  and  you  have  a 
pleasing  view  of  it  for  two  or  three  miles  above  and 
below.  A  stream  called  Fishkill,  which  rises  out  of 
Lake  Saratoga,  about  six  miles  from  the  general's 
house,  runs  close  by  it,  and  turns  several  mills ;  one. 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


45 


a  grist  mill,  two  saw-mills,  (one  of  them  carrying 
fourteen  saws,)  and  a  hemp  and  flax  mill.  This  mill 
is  a  new  construction,  and  answers  equally  well  in 
breaking  hemp  or  flax.  I  requested  the  general  to 
get  a  model  made  for  me  by  the  person  who  built  it. 
Descriptions  of  machines  are  seldom  accurately  made, 
and  when  done  with  exactness  are  seldom  under- 
stood. I  was  informed  by  the  general  that  it  is 
customary  for  the  great  proprietaries  of  lands  to  lease 
them  out  for  three  lives,  sometimes  on  fee-farm-rents, 
reserving,  by  way  of  rent,  a  fourth,  or,  more  common- 
ly, a  tenth  of  all  the  produce;  but  the  proprietaries 
content  themselves  with  a  tenth  of  the  wheat.  On 
every  transmutation  of  property  from  one  tenant  to 
another,  a  quarter  part  of  what  the  land  sells  for  is 
sometimes  paid  to  the  original  proprietary  or  lord  of 
the  manor.  The  general  observed  to  me  that  this  was 
much  the  most  advantageous  way  of  leasing  lands ; — 
that  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  from  the  frequent 
transmutations  of  tenants,  the  alienation  fines  would 
exceed  the  purchase  of  the  fee-simple,  though  sold  at 
a  high  valuation.  General  Schuyler  is  a  man  of  a 
good  understanding  improved  by  reflection  and  study; 
he  is  of  a  very  active  turn,  and  fond  of  husbandry, 
and  when  the  present  distractions  are  composed,  if 
his  infirm  state  of  health  will  permit  him,  will  make 
Saratoga  a  most  beautiful  and  most  valuable  estate. 
He  saws  up  great  quantities  of  plank  at  his  mills, 
which,  before  this  war,  was  disposed  of  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, but  the  greater  part  of  it  sent  to  Albany. 

llih.  Generals  Thomas  and  Schuyler  set  ofT  this 
morning  lor  Lake  George;  the  former  to  be  in  readi- 
ness to  cross  the  lake  on  the  first  breaking  up  of  the 
7 


46 


JOURNAL   or 


I 


ice,  the  latter  to  forward  the  embarkation  and  trans- 
portation of  military  stores  and  supplies. 

i2th.  It  snowed  all  this  morning  until  eleven 
o'clock ;  the  snow  above  six  inches  deep  on  the 
ground :  it  was  not  off  the  neighboring  hills  when 
we  left  Saratoga.* 

\C)th.  This  morning  we  set  off  from  Saratoga;  I 
parted  with  regret  from  the  amiable  family  of  Gene- 
ral Schuyler ;  the  ease  and  affability  with  which  we 
were  treated,  and  the  lively  behaviour  of  the  young 
ladies,  made  Saratoga  a  most  pleasing  sdjow,  the 
remembrance  of  which  will  long  remain  with  me. 
We  rode  from  Saratoga  to  McNeill's  ferry,  [distance 
two  miles  and  a  half,]  crossed  Hudson's  river  at  this 
place,  and  rode  on  to  one  mile  above  Fort  Miller, 
which  is  distant  from  McNeill's  two  miles.  A  Mr. 
Dover  has  a  country-seat  near  Fort  Miller ;  you  see 
his  house  from  the  road.  There  is  a  very  considera- 
ble fall  in  the  river  at  Fort  Miller.  Just  above  it  our 
baggage  was  put  into  another  boat;  it  had  been 
brought  in  a  wagon  from  Saratoga  to  McNeill's,  car- 
ried over  the  ferry  in  a  wagon,  and  then  put  on  board 
a  boat,  in  which  it  was  conveyed  to  the  foot  of  Fort 
Miller  falls ;  then  carried  over  land  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
and  put  into  a  second  boat.  At  a  mile  from  Fort  Miller 
we  got  into  a  boat  and  went  up  the  Hudson  river  to 
Fort  Edward.    Although  this  fort  is  but  seven  miles 


*  Dr.  Franklin  addressed  a  friendly  letter  to  Josiah  Q,uincy,  dated  15th 
of  April,  1776,  in  whicli  he  says,  "  I  am  here  on  my  way  to  Canada, 
detained  by  the  present  state  of  the  lakes,  in  which  the  unthawed  ice 
obstructs  the  navigation.  I  b(?;iin  to  apprehend  that  I  have  undertaken 
a  fatigue  that,  at  my  time  of  life,  may  prove  too  much  for  me,  so  I  sit 
down  to  write  to  a  few  friends,  by  way  qffarewelU^ — See  Sparks's  Life  of 
Franklin,  vol.  viii,  p.  180. — Jlmerican  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  947. 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OP  CARROLLTON. 


47 


en 
he 
en 

;  I 


distant  from  the  place  where  we  took  boat,  we  were 
above  four  hours  rowing  up.  The  current  is  exceed- 
ingly rapid,  and  the  rapidity  was  increased  by  a 
freshet.  In  many  places  the  current  was  so  strong 
that  the  batteau  men  were  obliged  to  set  up  with 
poles,  and  drag  the  boat  by  the  painter.  Although 
these  fellows  were  active  and  expert  at  this  business, 
it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  they  could  stem 
the  current  in  particular  places.  The  congress  keeps 
in  pay  three  companies  of  batteau  men  on  Hudson's 
river,  consisting  each  of  thirty-three  men  with  a  cap- 
tain ; — the  pay  of  the  men  is  £4.10  per  month.  The 
lands  bordering  on  Hudson's  river,  as  you  approach 
Fort  Edward,  become  more  sandy,  and  the  principal 
wood  that  grows  on  them  is  pine.  There  are  several 
saw  mills  both  above  and  below  Fort  Miller.  The 
planks  sawed  at  the  mills  above  Fort  Miller  are 
made  up  into  small  rafts  and  left  without  guides  to 
the  current  of  the  river;  each  one  is  marked,  so 
that  the  raft-men  that  remain  just  below  Fort  Miller 
fallS;  watching  for  them  coming  down,  may  easily 
know  their  own  rafts.  When  they  come  over  the 
falls  they  go  out  in  canoes  and  boats  and  tow  their 
rafts  ashore,  and  then  take  them  to  pieces  and  make 
them  again  into  larger  rafts.  The  smaller  rafts  are 
called  cribs.  The  ruins  only  of  Fort  Edward  remain ; 
there  is  a  good  large  inn,  where  we  found  quartered 
Colonel  Sinclair's  regiment.  Mr.  Allen,  son  of  old 
Mr.  Allen,  is  lieutenant-colonel ;  he  received  us  very 
politely  and  accommodated  us  with  beds.  The  officers 
of  this  regiment  are  in  general  fine  sized  men,  and 
seemed  to  be  on  a  friendly  footing ; — the  soldiers  also 
are  stout  fellows. 


48 


JOURNAL   OF 


# 


I 


M    I 


ilth.  Havinn;  breakfasted  with  Colonel  Allen,  we 
set  off  from  Fort  Edward  on  our  way  to  Fort  George. 
We  liad  not  got  a  mile  from  the  fort  when  a  messen- 
ger from  General  Schuyler  met  us.  He  was  sent 
with  a  letter  by  the  general  to  inform  us  that  Lake 
George  was  not  open,  and  to  desire  us  to  re.jain  at 
an  inn  kept  by  one  Wing,  at  seven  miles  distance  from 
Fort  Edward  and  as  many  from  Fort  George.  The 
country  between  Wing's  tavern  and  Fort  Edward  is 
very  sandy  and  somewhat  hilly.  The  principal  wood 
is  pine.  At  Fort  Edward  the  river  Hudson  makes  a 
sudden  turn  to  the  w  estvvard ;  it  soon  again  resumes 
its  former  north  course,  for,  at  a  small  distance,  we 
found  it  on  our  left  and  parallel  with  the  road  which 
we  travelled,  and  which,  from  Fort  Edward  to  Fort 
George,  lies  nearly  north  and  south.  At  three  miles, 
or  thereabouts,  from  Fort  Edward,  is  a  remarkable 
fall  in  the  river.  We  could  see  it  from  the  road,  but 
not  so  as  to  form  any  judgment  of  its  height.  We 
were  informed  that  it  was  upwards  of  thirty  feet,  and 
is  called  the  Kingsbury  falls.  We  could  distinctly 
see  the  spray  arising  like  a  vapor  or  fog  from  the 
violence  of  the  fall.  The  banks  of  the  river,  above 
and  below  these  falls  for  a  mile  or  two,  are  remarka- 
bly steep  and  high,  and  appear  to  be  formed,  or  faced, 
with  a  kind  of  stone  very  much  resembling  slate. 
The  banks  of  the  Mohawk's  river  at  the  Cohooes  are 
faced  with  the  same  sort  of  stone ; — it  is  said  to  be 
an  indication  of  sea-coal.  Mr.  Wing's  tavern  is  in 
the  township  of  Queensbury,  and  Charlotte  county; 
Hudson's  river  is  not  above  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
his  house.  There  is  a  most  beautiful  fall  in  the  river 
at  this  place.     From  still  water,  to  the  foot  of  the 


CHARLES    CARROLL    OF    CARROLLTON. 


49 


4 


fall,  I  imap;inc  the  fall  can  not  be  less  than  sixty 
feet,  but  the  fall  is  not  perpendicular;  it  may  be 
about  a  hundred  and  twenty  or  a  hundred  and  fifty 
feei,  long,  and  in  this  length,  it  is  broken  into  three 
distinct  falls,  one  of  which  nmy  be  twenty-five  feet 
nearly  perpendicular.  I  saw  Mr.  Wing's  patent, — 
the  reserved  quit-rent  is  two-sixths  sterling  per  hun- 
dred acres;  but  he  informs  me  it  has  never  been 
yet  collected. 

18^^.  We  set  oT  from  Wing's  tavern  about  twelve 
o'clock  this  day,  and  reached  Fort  George*  about 
two  o'clock ;  the  distance  is  eight  miles  and  a  half; — 
you  can  not  discover  the  lake  until  you  come  to  the 
heights  surrounding  it, — the  descent  from  which  to  the 
lake  is  nearly  u  mile  long; — from  these  ^  eights  you 
have  a  beautiful  view  of  the  lake  for  fifteen  miles  down 
it.  Its  greatest  breadth  during  these  fifteen  miles  does 
not  exceed  a  mile  and  a  quarter,  to  judge  by  the  eye, 
which,  however,  is  a  very  fallacious  way  of  estimat- 
ing distances.  Several  rocky  islands  appear  in  the 
lake,  covered  with  a  species  of  cedar  called  here 
hemlock.  Fort  George  is  in  as  ruinous  a  condition  as 
Fort  Edward,  it  is  a  small  bastion,  faced  with  stone, 
and  built  on  an  eminence  commanding  the  head  of 

*  See  General  Schuyler's  letter  to  Washington,  dated  Fort  George, 
April  27,  177G,  ^m.  Jlrchives,  vol.  v,  p.  1097  ;  and  the  letter  immediate- 
ly following,  from  Arnold  to  Schuyler,  dated  at  Montreal  on  the  20th 
April.  These  letters  give  gloomy  views  of  Canadian  affairs.  The  reader 
will  not  be  amazed,  after  reading  Arnold's  account  of  our  army  and  its 
resources,  that  it  finally  retreated  from  the  province. 

According  to  Arnold's  returns  of  the  troops  before  (iuebec  on  the  30th 
March,  786  were  on  the  sick  list  out  of  2505,  most  of  whom  were  griev- 
ously ill  of  the  small-pox. — "  Fifteen  hundred  of  these  men,"  he  says, 
"  are  at  liberty  on  the  15lh  of  April,  and  probably  not  more  than  half  of 
them  will  be  retained  in  the  service." 


50 


Journal  of 


the  lake. — There  are  some  barracks  in  it,  in  which 
tiie  troops  were  quartered,  or  rather  one  barrack, 
wliicii  occupied  almost  the  whole  space  between 
the  walls.  At  a  little  distance  from  this  fort,  and  to 
the  westward  of  it,  is  the  spot  where  the  Baron 
Dieskau  was  defeated  by  Sir  William  Johnson.* 
About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  further  to  the  westward 
the  small  remains  of  Fort  William  Henry  are  to  be 


•  See  Chalmers's  History  of  the  Revolt  of  the  American  Colonies,  vol. 
ii,  p.  277,  and  Smith's  History  of  New  York,  vol.  ii,  p.  220. 

The  Uaron  Dieskau  had  collected  about  of)00  men  at  Crown  Point, 
and  led  a  detachment  of  200  regulars,  000  Canadians,  and  as  many 
indians,  up  the  South  bay,  intending  to  pass  on  and  lay  waste  the  set- 
tlements down  to  Albany ;  but,  near  Fort  Edward,  he  turned  back,  with 
hopes  of  cutting  off  that  part  of  the  army  which  was  then  fourteen  miles 
higher  up  the  lake.  He  was  first  met  by  a  party  of  about  1000  men,  a 
few  miles  Irom  our  camp.  He  drove  them  before  him,  as  well  as  a  detach- 
ment sent  to  support  them ;  but,  by  a  very  great  error,  instead  of  storming 
the  log  breastwork,  he  halted  ^ad  scattered  his  irregulars  at  one  hundred 
and  fifty  yards,  keeping  up  a  fire  o{  musquetry,  until  the  camp  recovered 
from  its  surprise  and  began  to  play  upon  them  with  artiUery. 

Wounded,  and  deserted  by  all  but  his  handful  of  regulars,  he  endeav- 
ored to  reach  his  boats  at  South  bay ;  but  was  pursued,  wounded  again, 
and  taken.  A  detachment  of  200  men  from  Fort  Edward,  arriving  at 
this  instant,  pursued  the  flying  army,  and  completed  the  repulse  before 
the  dusk  of  evening.  Sir  William  Johnson  received  a  wound  in  the 
thigh  early  in  the  action,  and  the  defence  was  conducted  by  General 
Lyma.T. 

Uieskau  had  been  a  favorite  soldier  of  Saxe,  and  by  his  recommenda- 
tion had  been  entrusted  by  the  French  government  with  command  in 
Canada.  lie  was  long  retained  a  prisoner  in  England,  and,  I  believe, 
died  there  from  the  effects  of  the  wounds  received  in  this  fatal  action. 
His  account  of  the  battle  and  his  correspondence  with  his  government 
may  be  seen  in  the  collection  of  MSS.  lately  made  by  Mr,  Brodhead  for 
the  state  of  New  York,  and  depo'sited  at  Albany  in  the  Secretary  of 
State's  office. — See  vol.  xi  of  the  Paris  Docvments,  pp,  117,  123,  125, 

In  February,  1756,  parliament  granted  at  the  request  of  the  colonies, 
whose  troops  had  defeated  Dieskau,  >f  115,000,  not  so  much  as  a  reim- 
bursement as  a  bounty;  more  as  an  encouragement  for  future  exploits, 
than  as  a  reward  for  the  past. 


CHAItLFS   CARROLL   OF    CAUU()LLT<».\. 


r>i 


seen  across  a  little  rivulet  which  forms  a  swamp,  and 
is  the  morass  mentioned  by  Sir  William  Johnson  in 
his  account  of  the  action  with  Dieskau.  Fort  William 
Henry  was  taken  last  war  by  Montcalm,  and  de- 
stroyed ; —  the  garrison,  consisting  of  four  hundred 
men,  and  sixteen  hundred  others  that  were  intrenched 
without  the  fort,  capitulated  ; — a  considerable  part  of 
these  men  were  murdered  by  the  Indians,  on  their 
march  to  Fort  Edward,  after  they  had  delivered  up 
their  arms,  accordiiig  to  the  terms  of  capitulation. 
The  bay  in  which  Mont  aim  landed  is  seen  from  Fort 
George;  he  left  a  guard  of  five  hundred  men  only  to 
protect  his  boats  and  artillery,  and  marched  round 
over  the  heights  to  come  to  the  southward  of  Fort 
William  Henry.  When  on  tliese  heights,  he  discov- 
ered the  intrenched  body  without  the  fort,  and  seeing 
the  great  indiscretion  he  had  been  guilty  of  in  leaving 
1  small  a  force  to  guard  his  baggage  and  boats,  he 
_-..jhly  marched  back  to  secure  them.  Had  our  troops 
attacked  Montcalm's  five  hundred  men,  they  would 
probably  have  defeated  them,  taken  his  cannon  and 
boats,  and  forced  him  to  surrender  with  his  whole 
army.  There  was  nothing  to  impede  the  attack  but 
want  of  enterprise  and  conduct  in  the  commanding 
officer.*     The  neighborhood  of  Fort  George  abounds 

*  See  Smith's  History  of  New  York,  vol.  ii,  pp.  245-G,  and  Chalmers's 
History  of  the  Revolt  of  the  American  Colonies,  vol.  ii,  pp.  287-8. 

"Montcalm,  who  succeeded  Dieskau  in  command,  crossed  Lake 
Champlain  with  eleven  thousand  men,  and  a  numerous  artillery,  and 
invested  Fort  William  Henry  in  the  beginning  of  August,  IZ.'jT.  This 
fort  had  been  erected  subsequently  to  the  Crov/n  Point  expedition.  Webb, 
who  lay  in  its  vi^^inity  at  Fort  Edward,  with  four  thousand  regulars  and 
provincials,  did  e  ery  thing  for  its  relief  that  could  be  expected  from  an 
intelligent  officer.  But  he  found  it  impossible  to  collect  the  numerous 
militias  of  the  neighboring  provinces,  since  they  never  had  been  em- 


52 


JOURNAL   OF 


'  I  !: 


lilM!' 


with  limestone,  and  so  indeed  does  aVi  the  country 
surrounding  the  lake,  and  all  the  islands  in  it.  Their 
rockv  coast  and  bottom  contribute,  no  doubt,  to  the 
clearness  of  the  lake  water.  Never  did  I  see  water 
more  transparent,  and  to  its  transparency,  no  doubt, 
must  be  ascribed  i.he  excellency  of  the  fish  in  this 
lake,  which  nriuch  exceed  the  fish  in  Lake  Champlain. 
Lake  George  abounds  with  perch,  trout,  rock,  and  eels. 
19th.  We  embarked  at  Fort  George  this  evening, 
about  one  o'clock,  in  company  with  General  Schuyler, 
and  landed  in  Montcalm's  bay  about  four  miles  from 
Fort  George.  After  drinking  tea  on  short,  and  ar- 
ranging matters  in  our  boats,  we  again  embarked, 
and  went  about  three  or  four  miles  further,  then 
landed,  (the  sun  being  set,)  and  kindled  fires  on  shore. 
The  longest  of  the  boats,  maue  for  the  transportation 
of  the  troops  over  lakes  George  and  Champlain,  are 
thirty-six  feet  in  length  and  eight  feet  wide ;  they  draw 
about  a  foot  water  when  loaded,  and  carry  between 
thirty  and  forty  men,  and  are  rowed  by  the  soldiers. 
They  have  a  mast  fixed  in  them,  to  which  a  square 
sail,  or  a  blanket  is  fastened,  but  these  sails  are  of  no 
use  unless  with  the  wind  abaft,  or  nearly  so.  After 
we  left  Montcalm  bay  we  were  delayed  considerably 
in  getting  through  the  ice ;  but  with  the  help  of  tent- 
poles,  we  opened  ourselves  a  passage  through  it  into 
free  water.  The  boats  fitted  up  to  carry  us  across 
had  awnings  over  them,  under  which  we  made  up 

bodied  under  any  system,  and  the  authority  of  the  governors  had  long  been 
sacrificed  to  the  passions  of  tiie  multitude. 

"  Monro  defended  Fort  William  Henry  with  a  gallantry  that  gained 
him  the  applause  of  his  conqueror,  who  could  not,  however,  protect  a 
brave  garrison  from  the  piunder  of  the  savages.  Montcalm,  after  this, 
retireft  into  Canada,  and  so  ended  the  third  campaign  of  that  war." 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


53 


our  beds,  and  my  fellow  travellers  slept  very  comfort- 
ably; but  this  was  not  my  case,  for  I  was  indisposed 
the  whole  night,  with  a  violent  sickness  at  my  stom- 
ach and  vomiting,  occasioned  by  an  indigestion.  We 
left  the  place  where  we  passed  the  night  very  early 
on  the  20th. 

20th.  We  had  gone  some  miles  before  I  rose ;  soon 
after  I  got  out  of  bed  we  found  ourselves  entangled 
in  the  ice.  We  attempted,  but  in  vain,  to  break 
through  it  in  one  place,  but  were  obliged  to  desist  and 
force  our  passage  through  another,  which  we  effected 
without  much  difficulty.  At  eight  o'clock  we  landed 
to  breakfast.  After  breakfast  the  general  looked  to 
his  small  boat ;  being  desirous  to  reach  the  landing  at 
the  north  end  of  Lake  George,  we  set  off  together ; 
but  the  general's  boat  and  the  other  boat,  with  part 
of  the  luggage,  soon  got  before  us  a  considerable  way. 
After  separating,  we  luckily  fell  in  with  the  boat 
bringing  the  Montreal  and  Canada  mail,  by  which 
we  were  informed  that  the  west  shore  of  the  lake,  at 
a  place  called  Sabatay  point,  was  much  eiicumbered 
with  ice,  but  that  there  was  a  free  passage  on  the 
east  side ;  accordingly,  we  kept  along  the  east  shore, 
and  found  it  free  from  ice,  by  which  means  we  got 
before  the  general  and  the  other  boat ;  for  the  gene- 
ral, who  was  foremost,  had  been  delayed  above  an 
hour  in  breaking  through  the  ice,  and,  in  one  place, 
was  obliged  to  haul  his  boat  over  a  piece  or  neck  of 
land  thirty  feet  broad.  Dr.  Franklin  found  in  the 
Canada  mail,  which  he  opened,  ?.  letter  for  General 
Schuyler.  When  we  had  weathered  Sabaty  point, 
v/e  stood  over  for  the  western  shore  of  the  lake,  and 
a  mile  or  two  below  the  point  we  were  overtaken  by 
8 


54 


JdURNAL   OF 


';r 


the  general,  from  whom  we  learned  the  cause  of  his 
delay.  Mr.  Chase  and  myself  went  on  board  the 
general's  boat,  and  reached  the  landing  place  at  the 
south  end  of  Lake  George  near  two  hours  before  the 
other  boats.  Lake  George  lies  nearly  north  and 
south,  or  rather,  as  I  think,  somewhat  to  the  eastward 
of  a  due  north  course.  Its  shores  are  remarkably 
steep,  high,  and  rocky  (particularly  the  east  shore), 
and  are  covered  with  pine  and  cedar,  or  what  is  here 
termed  hemlock;  the  country  is  wild,  and  appears 
utterly  incapable  of  cultivation ;  it  is  a  fine  deer 
country,  and  likely  to  remain  so,  for  I  think  it  never 
will  be  inhabited.  I  speak  of  the  shores,  and  I  am 
told  the  inland  country  resembles  these.  The  lake, 
in  its  greatest  width,  does  not  exceed,  I  think,  two 
miles ;  the  widest  part  is  nearest  the  north  end,  im- 
mediately before  you  enter  the  last  narrows,  which 
are  not,  in  their  greatest  width,  above  half  a  mile. 
There  are  <  -vo  places  where  the  lake  is  considerably 
contracted,  one  abouc  the  middle  of  it,  the  other, 
as  I  have  said,  at  the  north  end ;  this  last  gradually 
coi>tracts  itself  in  breadth  to  the  size  of  an  inconside- 
rable river,  and  suddenly,  in  depth,  to  that  of  a  very 
shallow  one.  The  landing  place  of  Lake  George  is 
a  few  yards  to  the  southward  of  the  first  fall  or  ripple 
in  this  river,  through  which  the  waters  of  Lake 
George  drain  into  Lake  Champlain.  We  passed 
through  this  ripple,  and  though  our  boat  did  not  draw 
above  seven  or  eight  inches,  her  bottom  raked  the 
rocks ;  the  water  ran  through  this  passage  about  as 
swift  as  it  does  through  your  tail  race.  From  the 
landing  place  to  Ticonderoga  is  three  miles  and  a 
half     The  boats,  in  coming  through  Lake  George, 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OP  CARROLLTON. 


55 


pass  through  the  passage  just  described,  and  unload 
at  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  usual  landing 
place.  Their  contents  are  then  put  into  wagons,  and 
carried  over  to  Ticonderoga.  General  Schuyler  has 
erected  a  machine  for  raising  the  boats  when  emp- 
tied, and  then  letting  them  gently  down  on  a  carriage 
constructed  for  the  purpose,  on  which  they  are  drawn 
over  land  to  Ticonderoga,  on  Lake  Champlain,  to 
carry  the  troops  over  the  last  mentioned  lake,  and 
down  the  Sorel  into  the  river  St.  Lawrence.  These 
cai'riages  consist  of  four  wheels,  united  by  a  long 
sapling,  at  the  extremities  of  which  the  wheels  are 
placed ;  over  the  axletrees  is  fixed  a  piece  of  wood, 
on  which  each  end  of  the  boat  is  supported  and  made 
fast  by  a  rope  secured  round  a  bolt  at  the  undermost 
part,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  axletree.  This  bolt  is 
made  of  iron,  and  passes  through  the  aforesaid  pieces 
of  vv^ood  and  the  axletree.  These  carriages  are 
drawn  by  six  oxen,  and  this  morning  (21st  instant) 
I  saw  three  or  four  boats  carried  over  upon  them. 
Lake  George,  from  the  south  end  of  it  to  the  land- 
ing place  at  the  north  extremity,  is  thirty-(='v^  miles 
long.  Its  average  width  does  not,  I  think,  c/^ceed  a 
mile,  and  this  brepdth  is  interspersed  and  broken  by 
innumerable  little  i  jcky  islands  formed  of  limestone , 
the  shores  of  which  are  commonly  so  steep  that 
you  may  step  from  the  rocks  into  ten  or  twelve  feet 
water.  The  season  was  not  sufficiently  advanced  to 
admit  of  catching  fish,  a  circumstance  we  had  reason 
to  regret,  as  they  are  so  highly  praised  by  the  con- 
noisseurs in  good  eating,  and  as  one  of  our  company 
is  so  excellent  a  judge  in  this  science.  There  are  no 
considerable  rivers  that  empty  themselves  into  Lake 


56 


JOURNAL   OF 


ro 


George.  We  saw  some  brooks  or  rivulets,  which,  I 
presume,  after  the  melting  of  the  snows,  are  almost 
dry.  The  lake  must  be  Tsd,  principally,  with  springs, 
the  melting  of  snows,  and  the  torrents  that  must 
pour  into  it,  from  its  high  and  steep  shores,  after  rains. 
As  there  is  no  considerable  river  that  flows  into  it,  so 
is  the  vent  of  its  waters  into  Lake  Champlain  very 
inconsiderable.  In  summer  you  may  step,  dry-footerj, 
from  rock  to  rock,  in  the  place  which  I  have  called 
the  first  ripple,  and  which  I  said  we  passed,  coming 
out  of  Lake  George.  The  water  suddenly  shallows 
from  a  great  depth  to  nine  or  ten  feet  or  less.  This 
change  is  immediately  discoverable  by  the  great 
change  in  the  color  of  the  water.  The  lake  water  is 
of  a  dark  bluish  cast,  and  the  water  of  the  river  of  a 
whitish  color,  owing  not  only  to  the  difTerence  of  the 
depth,  but  the  difference  of  the  bottoms  and  shores, 
which,  adjoining  the  river,  are  of  white  clay. 

2lst.  I  took  a  walk  this  evening  to  the  saw-mill 
which  is  built  on  the  principal  fall  of  the  river  flow- 
ing from  Lake  George  into  Lake  Chan  plain.  At 
the  foot  of  this  fall,  which  is  about  thirteen  feet  high, 
the  river  is  navigable  for  batteaux  into  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  From  the  saw-mill  to  the  place  where  the 
batteaux  are  put  on  carriages  to  be  carried  over  land, 
the  distance  is  one  mile  and  a  half.  I  saw  them  un- 
JoaH.  a  boat  from  the  carriage,  and  launch  it,  at  the 
same  time,  into  the  river;  this  was  performed  by 
thirty-five  or  forty  men.  To-day  they  carried  over 
this  portage  fifty  batteaux.  I  saw  the  forty-eighth 
put  on  the  carriage.  A  little  to  the  northwestward 
of  the  saw-mill,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  I  visited 
the  spot  where  Lord  Howe  was  killed.    At  a  small 


;if 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


57 


expense  a  continued  navigation  for  batteaux  might 
be  made  between  the  lakes  George  and  Champlain, 
by  means  of  a  few  locks.  General  Schuyler  in- 
formed me  that  locks,  sufficient  and  adequate  to  the 
above  purpose,  might  be  constructed  for  fifteen  hun- 
dred pounds  sterling.  There  are  but  four  or  five  falls 
in  this  river,  the  greatest  of  which  is  not  above  four- 
teen or  fifteen  feet.  But  the  general  informs  me  a 
much  more  advantageous  water  carriage  may  be 
opened  through  Wood  creek,  which  falls  into  Lake 
Champlain  at  Skeenesborough,  twenty-eight  miles 
south  of  Ticonderoga.  The  general  proposes  to  have 
this  creek  accurately  surveyed,  the  heights  ascer- 
tained, and  estimate  made  of  the  expense  of  erecting 
locks  on  Wood  creek,  and  the  most  convenient  branch 
which  heads  near  it  and  falls  into  Hudson's  river. 
If  this  water  communication  betwee^^  Lake  Cham- 
plain and  the  province  of  New  York  should  be  per- 
fected, there  is  little  danger  of  the  enemy's  gaining 
the  mastery  of  Lake  Champlain,  or  of  their  ever 
having  it  in  their  power  to  invade  these  colonies  from 
Canada  with  any  prospect  of  success,  besides  the  se- 
curity which  will  be  obtained  for  the  colonies  in  time 
of  war  by  making  this  navigation.  Trade,  during 
peace,  will  be  greatly  benefited  by  it,  as  there  will 
then  be  a  continued  water  communication  between 
New  York  and  Canada,  without  the  inconvenience 
and  expense  attending  the  portages  over  land. 

22rf.  I  this  morning  took  a  ride  with  General 
Schuyler  across  the  portage,  or  from  the  landing 
place  at  the  bottom  of  Lake  George,  to  Ticonderoga. 
The  landing  place  is  properly  on  the  river  which 
runs  out  of  Lake  George  into  Lake  Champlain,  and 


58 


JOURNAL   OF 


m 


may  be  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  place  where  the 
former  may  be  said  to  terminate,  i.  e.,  where  the  lake 
is  contracted  into  a  river,  as  a  current  and  shallow 
water.  This  river,  computing  its  length  from  the 
aforesaid  spot  to  the  foot  of  the  falls  at  the  saw  mills, 
and  its  windings,  which  are  inconsiderable,  is  not 
more  than  four  or  five  miles  long.  From  the  foot  of 
the  saw-mill  falls  there  is  still  water  into  Lake 
Champlain.  It  is  at  the  foot  of  these  falls  that  the 
batteaux,  brought  over  land,  are  launched  into  the 
water,  and  the  artillery  and  the  apparatus  belonging 
to  it  are  embarked  in  theui ;  the  stores,  such  as  pro- 
visions, ball,  powder,  &c.,  are  embarked  from  Ticon- 
deroga.  At  sixty  cr  seventy  yards  below  the  saw- 
mill there  is  a  bridge  built  over  the  river : — this  bridge 
was  built  by  the  king  during  the  last  war; — the 
road  from  the  landing  place  to  Ticonderoga  passes 
over  it,  and  you  then  have  the  river  on  the  right; 
when  you  have  passed  the  bridge  you  immediately 
ascend  a  pretty  high  hill,  and  keep  ascending  till 
you  reach  the  famous  lines  made  by  the  French  in 
the  last  war,  which  Abercrombie  was  so  infatuated 
as  to  attack  with  musquetry  only ; — his  cannon  was 
lying  at  the  bridge,  about  a  mile  or  something  better 
from  these  lines.  The  event  of  the  day  is  too  well 
known  to  be  mentioned ;  we  lost  [killed  and  wounded] 
near  one  thousand  six  hundred  men ;  had  the  cannon 
been  brought  up,  the  French  would  not  have  waited 
to  be  attacked ; — it  was  morally  impossible  to  suc- 
ceed against  these  lines  with  small  arms  only,  par- 
ticularly in  the  manner  they  were  attacked; — our 
army  passing  before  them,  and  receiving  a  fire  from 
the  whole  extent ; — whereas,  had  it  marched  lower 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


59 


down,  or  to  the  north-west  of  these  lines,  it  would 
have  flanked  them : — they  were  constructed  of  large 
trunks  of  t'-ees,  felled  on  each  other,  with  earth  thrown 
up  against  them.  On  the  side  next  the  French 
troops,  they  had,  besides  felling  trees,  lopped  and 
sharpened  their  branches,  and  turned  them  towards 
the  enemy ;  the  trunks  of  the  trees  remain  to  this  day 
piled  up  as  described,  but  are  fast  going  to  decay. 
As  soon  as  you  enter  these  lines  you  have  a  full  view 
of  Lake  Ghamplain  and  Ticonderoga  fort,  distant 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  The  land  from  thence 
gradually  declines  to  the  spot  on  which  the  fort  is 
built."^  Lake  Ghamplain  empties  itself  opposite  the 
fort,  and  runs  south  twenty-eight  miles  to  Skeenes- 
borough.  Crown  Point  is  fifteen  miles  down  the  lake 
from  Ticonderoga.  The  lake  is  no  where  broad  in 
sight  of  the  last  mentioned  place,  but  the  prospect 


*  The  works  at  Ticonderoga  were  trifling':  logs  had  been  piled  up  on  the 
land  side  in  a  line  for  a  breastwork,  with  trees  before  it  to  embarrass 
assailants.  In  August,  1758,  Abercrombie,  who  was  not  informed  that 
there  was,  at  one  end,  an  open  access  to  the  French  encampment, 
ordered  an  attack  with  musqwtry  alone,  upon  that  part  of  the  line  which 
was  completed  and  fortified  with  cannon.  It  was  at  that  point  that 
the  British  sustained  a  loss  of  nearly  two  thousand  men  in  killed  and 
wounded. 

The  French  general,  who  was  just  within  the  lines,  perceived  the 
folly  of  the  British  in  advancing  through  the  obstructions  of  an  abuttis 
of  trees,  and  forbade  a  musket  to  be  fired  until  he  gave  the  word.  As 
soon  as  the  English  troops  were  so  completely  within  his  toils  that 
their  embarrassments  utterly  impeded  flight,  he  issued  the  word  of  com- 
mand, and  the  assailants  were  slaughtered  like  cattle. 

It  was  related  by  Colonel  Schuyler,  who  was  then  a  prisoner  in  Can- 
ada, that  Montcalm's  whole  force  at  Crown  Point  did  not  exceed  three 
thousand  men,  nor  his  killed,  wounded,  and  captured,  two  hundred 
and  thirty.  From  a  dread  of  the  British  superiority,  he  had  actually 
resolved,  before  Abercrombie  retreated,  to  abandon  Crown  Point. — See 
SmiiVs  History  ofJS'ew  York,  vol.  ii,  p.  205. 


60 


JOURNAL   OF 


from  it  is  very  pleasing ;  its  shores  are  not  as  steep 
as  those  of  Lake  George.  They  rise  gradually 
from  the  water,  and  are  covered  more  thickly  with 
woods,  which  grow  in  good  soils,  or  at  least  in  soils 
much  better  than  can  be  seen  on  Lake  George. 
There  is  but  one  settlement  on  the  latter,  at  Sabatay 
point ;  I  understood  there  were  about  sixty  acres  of 
good  land  at  that  point.  Ticonderoga  fort  is  in  a 
ruinous  condition;  it  was  once  a  tolerable  fortifica- 
tion. The  ramparts  are  faced  with  stone.  I  saw  a 
few  pieces  of  cannon  mounted  on  one  bastion,  more 
for  show,  I  apprehend,  than  service.  In  the  present 
state  of  affairs  this  fort  is  of  no  other  use  than  as  an 
entrepdt  or  magazine  for  stores,  as  from  this  place 
all  supplies  for  our  amy  in  Canada  are  shipped  to  go 
down  Lake  Champlain.  I  saw  four  vessels,  viz : 
three  schooners  and  one  sloop ;  these  are  to  be  armed, 
to  keep  the  mastery  of  the  lake  in  case  we  should  lose 
St.  John's  and  be  driven  out  of  Canada ; — in  the  mean- 
time they  will  be  employed  in  carrying  supplies  to 
our  troops  in  that  country.  Of  these  three  schooners 
two  were  taken  from  the  enemy  on  the  surrender  of 
St.  John's,  one  of  them  is  called  the  Royal  Savage, 
and  is  pierced  for  twelve  guns ;  she  had,  when  taken, 
twelve  brass  pieces — I  think  four  and  six  pounders ; 
these  were  sent  to  Boston.  She  is  really  a  fine  ves- 
sel, and  built  on  purpose  for  fighting  ;  however,  some 
repairs  are  wanted ;  a  new  mainmast  must  be  put  in, 
her  old  one  being  shattered  with  one  of  our  cannon 
balls.*     When  these  vessels  are  completely  rigged, 

*  This  vessel  had  been  taken  the  year  before. — After  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point  were  secured  by  Colonel  Allen,  a  party  of  his  troops  came 
suddenly  upon  Major  Skeene.  at  Skeenesborough,  and,  making  him 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


61 


armed,  and  manned,  we  may  defy  the  enemy  on 
Lake  Champlain  for  this  summer  and  fall  at  least, 
even  should  we  unfortunately  be  driven  out  of  Cana- 
da. When  our  small  army  last  summer,  or  rather 
fall,  [in  number  about  one  thousand  seven  hundred,] 
came  to  Isle  aux  JVoix,  this  vessel  was  almost  ready 
to  put  to  sea,  she  wanted  only  as  much  to  be  done  to 
her  as  could  easily  have  been  finished  in  three  days, 
had  the  enemy  exerted  themselves.  Had  she  ven- 
tured out  our  expedition  to  Canada  must  have  failed, 
and  probably  our  whole  army  must  have  surrendered, 
for  she  was  greatly  an  overmatch  for  all  the  naval 

prisoner,  also  seized  a  schooner  and  several  batteaux,  with  which  they 
hastened  to  Ticonderoga. — Allen  and  Arnold  then  formed  a  plan  to  make 
a  rapid  descent  upon  St.  John's,  take  a  king's  sloop  that  lay  there,  and 
attempt  a  descent  upon  the  garrison.  The  schooner  and  batteaux  were 
therefore  speedily  manned  and  armed,  and,  as  Arnold  had  been  a  sea- 
man in  his  youth,  the  schooner  was  assigned  to  his  command,  while 
the  batteaux  were  committed  to  the  charge  of  Allen.  They  left  Ticon- 
deroga at  nearly  the  same  time  j  but,  as  the  wind  was  fresh,  the  schooner 
outsailed  the  batteaux.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  17th 
May,  1775,  Arnold  was  within  thirty  miles  of  St.  John's  ;  and,  as  the 
weather  was  calm,  he  fitted  out  two  batteaux  with  thirty-five  men,  leav- 
ing the  schooner  behind,  and  proceeded  to  his  destination,  where  he 
arrived  at  six  o'clock  next  morning.  He  immediately  made  his  attack, 
seized  a  sergeant  with  twelve  men,  and  the  king's  sloop  of  about 
seventy  tons,  with  two  brass  sixes,  and  seven  men.  Neither  side  sus- 
tained any  loss ;  and  embarking,  after  a  delay  of  two  hours,  he  took 
with  him  his  captives,  the  sloop,  and  four  batteaux,  having  destroyed 
five  others. 

Fifteen  miles  from  St.  John's  he  met  Allen  pressing  forward  with  his 
party.  They  saluted  in  honor  of  the  victory,  and  the  colonel  pushed  on 
with  one  hundred  men  towards  Lti  Prairie,  to  keep,  if  possible,  the 
ground  that  had  been  taken  by  Arnold.  But,  notwithstanding  his  reso- 
lution and  courage,  he  was  soon  obliged  to  retreat  before  reinforcements 
that  came  from  Chamblay  and  elsewhere,  and  he  returned  to  Ticonde- 
fp.go,  with  a  loss  of  only  three  men,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners. — See 
Sparks's  JhiuiricaH  Bio'^rapliij ,  vol.  i,  p.  279,  ciserj. 

9 


62 


JOURNAL   OP 


strength  we  then  hud  on  the  lake.  Had  Preston, 
who  commanded  at  St.  John's,  ventured  out  with  his 
garrison,  consisting  of  six  hundred  men,  and  attacked 
our  people  at  their  first  landing,  he  would,  in  all 
probability,  have  defeated  them,  as  they  were  a  mere 
undisciplined  rabble,  made  up  chiefly  of  the  otiings 
and  outcasts  of  New  York. 

23d.  We  continued  this  day  at  the  landing  place, 
our  boats  not  being  yet  ready  and  fitted  to  carry  us 
through  Lake  Champlain.  General  Schuyler  and 
the  troops  were  busily  engaged  in  carting  over  land, 
to  the  saw-mill,  the  batteaux,  cannon,  artillery  stores, 
provisions,  &c.,  there  to  be  embarked  on  the  naviga- 
ble waters  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  transported  over 
that  lake  to  St.  John's. 

2^th.  We  this  day  left  the  landing  place  at  Lake 
George  and  took  boat  at  the  saw-mill.  From  the 
saw-mill  to  Ticonderoga,  the  distance,  by  water,  is 
about  a  mile ;  the  water  is  shallow,  but  sufliciently 
deep  for  batteau  navigation.  A  little  below  the 
bridge  before  mentioned,  the  French,  during  the  last 
war,  drove  pickets  into  the  river,  to  prevent  our  boats 
getting  round  from  the  saw-mill  to  Ticonderoga  with 
the  artillery;  some  of  the  pickets  still  remain,  for 
both  our  boats  struck  on  them.  Ticonderoga  fort  * 
is  beautifully  situated,  but,  as  I  said  before,  it  is  in  a 
ruinous  condition ; — neither  is  the  place,  in  my  opin- 
ion, judiciously  chosen  for  the  convStruction  of  a  fort ; 
a  fort  constructed  at  the  saw-mill  would  much  better 

*  For  an  interesting  account  of  the  capture  of  this  place  by  Ethan 
Allen,  on  the  morning  of  the  lOtli  of  May,  1775,  "In  the  name,"  as  he 
said,  "of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental  Congress;"  see  Sparks's 
^tnerican  Biography,  first  series,  vol.  i,  p.  274,  et  seq. 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


C3 


secure  the  passage  or  pass  into  the  province  of  New 
York  by  way  of  Lake  (ieorge.  Having  waited  at 
Ticonderoga  an  hour  or  two,  to  take  in  provisions  for 
the  crews  of  both  boats,  consisting  entirely  of  soldiers, 
we  embarked  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  reached  Crown 
Point  a  little  after  three,  with  the  help  of  our  oars 
only.  Crown  Point  is  distant  from  Ticonderoga  only 
fifteen  miles.  The  lake,  all  the  way,  from  one  part 
to  another,  is  narrow,  scarce  exceeding  a  mile  on 
an  average.  Crown  Point  is  situated  on  a  neck  or 
isthmus  of  land,  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake ;  it  is  in 
ruins ;  it  was  once  a  considerable  fortress,  and  the 
English  must  have  expended  a  large  sum  in  con- 
structing the  fort  and  erecting  the  barracks,  which 
are  also  in  ruins.  A  great  part  of  the  ditch  is  cut 
out  of  the  solid  limestone  rock.  This  ditch  was 
made  by  blowing  the  rocks,  as  the  holes  bored  for 
the  gunpowder  are  plainly  to  be  seen  in  the  frag- 
ments. By  some  accident  the  fort  took  fire,  the 
flames  communicated  to  the  powder  magazine,  con- 
taining at  that  time  ninety-six  barrels.  The  shock 
was  so  great  as  to  throw  down  the  barracks — at  least 
the  upper  stories.  The  explosion  w^as  distinctly 
heard  ten  miles  off,  and  the  earth  shook  at  that  dis- 
tance as  if  there  had  been  an  earthquake.  This 
intelligence  I  received  from  one  Paris,  who  lives  ten 
miles  down  the  lake,  and  at  whose  house  we  lay  this 
night.  The  wood  work  of  the  barracks  is  entirely 
consumed  by  fire,  but  the  stone  work  of  the  first 
stories  might  be  easily  repaired,  and  one  of  these 
barracks  might  be  converted  into  a  fine  manufactory. 
The  erecting  of  these  barracks  and  the  fort  must 
have  cost  the  government  not  less,  I  dare  say,  than 


64 


JOURNAL  OF 


UK 


one  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling.*  The  lake 
is  narrow  opposite  the  fort,  and  makes  a  bend,  by 
which  tiie  vessels  passing  on  tiie  lake  were  much 
exposed  to  the  artillery  of  the  fort;  and  this  advan- 
tageous situation  first  induced  the  French,  and  then 
the  English,  to  erect  a  fort  here.  The  French  fort 
was  inconsiderable,  and  close  to  the  water;  the 
English  fort  is  a  much  more  extensive  fortification, 
and  farth.cr  from  the  lake,  but  so  as  to  command  it. 
25th.  We  set  off  from  Faris's  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  If  Faris's  information  may  be  relied  on,  his 
land  and  the  neighboring  lands  are  exceedingly  fine ; — 
lie  told  us  he  had  reaped  thirty  bushels  of  wheat  from 
the  acre ;  the  soil  appears  to  be  good ;  but,  to  judge 
of  it  from  its  appearance,  I  should  not  think  it  so 
fertile.  Three  miles  north  of  Faris's  the  lake  begins 
to  contract  itself,  and  this  contraction  continues  for 
six  miles,  and  is  called  the  narrows.  At  Faris's  the 
lake  is  about  two  miles  wide.  We  breakfasted  in  a 
small  cove  at  a  little  distance  to  the  southward  of  the 
Split  rock.  The  Split  rock  is  nine  miles  from  Faris's 
house.  At  the  Split  rock  the  lake  grows  immediately 
wider  as  you  go  down  it ;  its  width,  in  this  place,  can 
not  be  much  short  of  seven  miles.  When  we  had  got 
four  or  five  miles  from  the  rock,  the  wind  headed  us, 
and  blew  a  fresh  gale,  which  occasioned  a  considera- 


*  As  soon  as  Ethan  Allen  had  got  possession  of  Ticonderoga  and 
secured  his  prisoners,  he  despatched  Seth  Warner  with  a  detachment  of 
men  to  seize  Crown  Point.  The  distance  was  only  fifteen  miles,  but  a 
strong  head  wind  drove  back  the  boats,  and  the  whole  party  returned 
the  same  evening.  A  day  or  two  afterwards,  however,  the  attempt  was 
successfully  renewed.  The  garrison — consisting  of  eleven  men  and  a 
sergeant — was  captured,  and  sixty-one  good  cannon,  and  fifty-three  unfit 
for  seorvicp,  were  taken. — Sec  Sparks^s  Jlmcrkun  Biography,  vol.  i,  p.  277. 


CHARLES  CAOROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


65 


blc  swell  on  the  lake,  the  wind  hcing  north-east,  and 
having  a  reach  ol"  twenty  miles.  We  were  con- 
strained to  put  in  at  one  McCaully's,  wiierc  we  dined 
on  cold  provisions.  The  wind  abating  about  four 
o'clock,  we  put  off  again,  and  rowed  seven  miles 
down  the  lake  to  a  point  of  land  a  mile  or  two  to 
the  southward  of  four  islands  called  the  Four  Bro- 
thers; these  islands  lie  nearly  in  the  middle  of  the 
lake,  which  is  very  wide  in  this  place,  and  continues 
so  as  far  as  you  can  see  down  it.  Mr.  Chase  and  I 
slept  this  night  on  shore  under  a  tent  made  of  bushes. 
26th.*  We  set  off  this  morning  at  four  o'clock  from 
the  last  mentioned  point,  which  I  called  "  Commis- 
sioners' point."  Wind  fair ;  a  pretty  breeze.  At  five 
o'clock  reached  Schuyler's  island ;  it  contaii.s  eight 
hundred  acres,  and  belongs  to  Montreson,  distant  seven 
miles  from  the  Four  Brothers.  Schuyler's  island  lies 
near  the  western  shore.  The  lake  continues  wide ; — 
at  ten  o'clock  got  to  Cumberland  head,  fourteen  miles 
from  S»  huyler's  island.  Cumberland  head  is  the  south 
point  of  Cumberland  bay.  The  bay  forms  a  deep 
recess  on  the  western  side  of  the  lake;  its  length, 
from  Schuyler's  island,  at  the  point  of  land  opposite 
to  it,  to  Cumberland  head-land,  is  fourteen  miles,  and 
its  depth  not  less  than  nine  or  ten  miles.  The  wind 
luckily  favored  us  until  we  reached  Cumberland  head ; 
it  then  ceased ; — it  grew  cloudy,  and  soon  began  to 
rain,  and  the  wind  shifted  to  the  north-east.  We 
breakfasted  at  Cumberland  head  on  tea  and  good 
biscuit,  our  usual  breakfast,  having  provided  ourselves 

*0q  the  26th  of  April,  177G,  the  President  oi'Cc^gress  addressed  let- 
ters to  the  commissioners,  and  to  General  Schuyler,  upon  the  subject  of 
the  late  disturbances  in  Canada. — See  Am.Jlrch.,  vol.  v,  pp.  1085,  lOSG. 
For  the  rcsotitt'mis  spoken  of,  see  same  volume,  p.  1086. 


66 


JOURNAL   OK 


I  3w  It 


with  the  necessary  furniture  for  such  a  breakfast. 
As  soon  as  it  cleared  up  we  rowed  across  a  bay, 
about  four  miles  wide,  to  Point  aux  Ifoches,  so  called 
from  the  rocks  of  w  hich  it  is  formed.  Indeed  it  is 
one  entire  stone  wall,  fifteen  feet  high,  but  gradually 
inclining  to  the  north-east.  At  that  extremity  it  is 
little  above  the  water.  Having  made  a  short  stay  at 
this  place  to  refresh  our  men,  we  rowed  round  the 
point,  hugged  the  western  shore,  and  got  into  a  cove 
w  hich  fc  ms  a  very  ^afe  harbor.  But  the  ground 
being  low  and  swampy,  and  no  cedar  or  hemlock 
trees,  of  the  branches  of  which  our  men  formed  their 
tents  at  night,  we  thought  proper  to  cross  over  to  Isle 
la  Motte,  bearing  from  us  about  north-east,  and  distant 
three  miles.  This  island  is  nine  miles  long  and  one 
broad.  The  south-west  side  of  it  is  high  land,  and 
the  water  is  deep  close  in  shore,  which  is  rocky  and 
steep.  We  lay  under  this  shore  all  night  in  a  critical 
situation,  for  had  the  wind  blown  hard  in  the  night, 
from  the  west,  our  boats  would  probably  have  been 
stove  against  the  rocks.  We  passed  the  night  on 
board  the  boats,  under  the  awning  which  had  been 
fitted  up  for  us.  This  awning  could  effectually  secure 
us  from  the  wind  and  rain,  and  there  was  space 
enough  under  it  to  make  up  four  beds.  The  beds  we 
were  provident  enough  to  take  with  us  from  Philadel- 
phia. We  found  them  not  only  convenient  and  com- 
fortable, but  necessary ;  for,  w^ithout  this  precaution, 
persons  travelling  from  the  colonies  into  Canada  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  or  indeed  at  any  other,  will 
find  themselves  obliged  either  to  sit  up  all  night,  or 
to  lie  on  the  bare  ground  or  planks.  Several  of  the 
islands  in  Lake  Champlain  have  different  claimants, 


CIIARF.ES    CARROLL   OP   CARROLLTON. 


67 


as  patents  have  been  granted  by  the  French  govern- 
ment and  the  government  of  New  York.  According  to 
the  present  division,  most  of  them,  indeed  all,  except 
Isle  aux  NoiXj  are  in  the  colony  of  New  York. 

21th.  A  fine  morning.    We  left  our  nation's  station 
at  four  o'clock,  and  rowed  ten  miles  to  Poiiit  au  Fcr, 
so  called  from  some  iron  mines  at  no  great  distance 
from  it;  the  land  here,  and  all  the  adjacent  country, 
is  very  flat  and  low.     Colonel  Christie  has  built  a 
house  at  this  point,  which  is  intended  for  a  tavern ; 
the   place  is  judiciously  chosen.    A  small  current 
begins  here,  and  the  raftsmen  are  not  obliged  to  row ; 
after  they  bring  their  rafts  to  Point  au  Fer,  the  cur- 
rent will  carry  them  in  a  day  to  St.  John's,  which  is 
distant  from  this  point  thirty  measured  miles.   Wind- 
mill point  is  three  miles  below  Point  au  Fer;  and,  a 
mile  or  two  below  the  former,  runs  the  line  which 
divides  the  province  of  Quebec  from  New  York.    At 
Windmill  point  the  lake  begins  to  contract  itself  to 
the  size  of  a  river,  but  of  a  large  and  deep  one.    Op- 
posite to  ti,  0  point  the  width  can  not  be  much  short 
of  two  miles:  six  miles  below  Windmill  point  you 
meet  with  a  small  island  called  Isle  aux  Tetes :  from 
a  number  of  heads  that  were  stuck  upon  poles  by  the 
Indians  after  a  great  battle  that  was  fought  between 
them  on  this  island,  or  near  it.    At  this  island  the 
current  is  not  only  perceptible,  but  strong.   We  went 
close  by  the  island,  and  in  shallow  w  iter,  which  gave 
us  a  better  opportunity  of  observing  the  swiftness  of 
the  current.     A  mile  or  two  below  this  island,  we 
breakfasted  at  a  tavern  kept  by  one  StoUd.     At  Isle 
aux  Tites,  the  river  Richelieu,  or  St.  John's,  or  Sorel 
(for  it  goes  by  all  these  names),  may  be  properly  said 


G8 


JOURNAL   OF 


to  begin.  It  is  in  this  place  above  a  mile  wide,  deep, 
and  the  current  considerable ; — its  banks  are  almost 
level  with  the  water, — indeed,  the  water  appears  to 
be  rather  above  the  banks ;  the  country  is  one  con- 
tinued swamp,  overflowed  by  the  river  at  this  season ; — 
as  you  approach  St.  John's  the  current  grows  stronger. 
Isle  auv  Noix  is  half  way  between  St.  John's  and 
Point  au  Fer,  and  consequently  fifteen  miles  from 
each;  we  passed  close  by  it:  it  is  very  level  and 
low,  covered  at  the  north  end  with  hazel  bushes; 
but  the  land  is  higher  than  the  banks  of  the  river.* 

*  In  a  letter  from  Colonel  Ethan  Allen  to  congress,  on  the  2d  June, 
177(3,  he  speaks  of  his  expedition  as  one  undertaken  at  the  special  en- 
couragement and  request  of  a  number  of  gentlemen  in  the  colony  of 
Connecticut.  After  alluding  to  his  successes,  he  declares  that  the  key 
of  Canada  is  yet  ours,  and  strongly  recommends  that  two  or  three  thou- 
sand men  should  be  pushed  into  that  province,  so  as  to  weaken  General 
Gage,  and  insure  us  the  country.  He  even  believed  that  if  he  could  he 
thus  furnished,  he  would  find  it  no  insuperable  difficulty  to  take  Q,uebec. 

If,  however,  it  was  thought  premature  to  push  an  army  into  Canada, 
he  proposed  to  make  a  stand  at  the  Isle  aux  Noix,  which  had  been  forti- 
fied by  the  intrenchments  of  the  French  during  the  last  war,  and  had 
greatly  fatigued  our  large  army  to  take  it. 

Allen's  advice  was  deemed  bold  and  incautious  when  given,  but 
events  afterwarJs  proved  that  it  was  characterized  by  wisdom  and  fore- 
thought. If  a  competent  force  had  been  thrown  into  Canada  before  the 
Dritish  had  time  to  rally  their  scattered  forces,  the  campaign  would  have 
rewarded  us  with  success  instead  of  the  sad  failure  that  attended  the 
wavering  and  tardy  policy  pursued  by  longress  in  maturing  the  expe- 
dition. 

Congress,  or  the  country  had,  however,  at  this  moment,  not  yet  re- 
solved how  far  they  would  enlist  the  Canadians  in  the  enterprise,  and 
could  not  but  have  regarded  the  attack  on  their  French  neighbors  as 
very  much  like  a  distinct  war  from  that  undertaken  against  the  British. 
Tlie  first  eflbrt  of  the  colonies  was  to  secure  their  own  immediate  pos- 
sessions ;  tlie  next,  to  prevent  injury  to  them  from  such  possessions  as 
Great  Britain  might  retain.  The  reader  will  observe  that  Mr.  CarroU 
fully  agreed  willi  Colonel  Allen  as  to  the  great  importance  of  this  mili- 
tary position  ai  the  Islu  uux  Nuix. — iSce  .Sy;«/7is'»  Jim.  Diog.,  vol.  i, 
p.  2S'3  d  «(.«/.,  d  p.  -iK? . 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


(J9 


We  saw  the  intrenchments  thrown  up  by  ilie  F'rench 
during  the  last  war,  and  the  remains  of  the  pickets 
driven  into  the  river,  quite  across  to  the  island,  to 
prevent  the  English  boats  from  getting  down  to  St. 
John's.  These  fortifications  induced  General  Am- 
herst to  penetrate  into  Canada  by  Oswego  lake  and 
the  St.  Lawrence,  rather  than  run  the  hazard  of  being 
stopped  at  Me  aux  Noix.  Indeed  I  believe  he  would 
have  found  it  a  diiiicult  matter  to  force  his  way 
through  this  pass,  which  appears  to  me  of  great  con- 
sequence in  the  present  contest,  should  the  forces  of 
the  united  colonies  be  obliged  to  evacuate  Canada ; 
for  if  we  occupy  and  fortify  this  island,  drive  pickets 
into  the  river,  and  build  row  galleys,  and  place  them 
behind  the  pickets,  or  between  the  little  islets  formed 
by  the  several  smaller  islands,  almost  contiguous  to 
Isle  aux  Noix,  the  enemy  will  not  be  able  to  pene- 
trate into  the  colonies  from  Canada  by  the  way  of 
Lake  Champlain.  It  is  certain  that  Amherst,  rather 
than  expose  himself  to  the  disgrace  of  being  foiled 
at  this  post,  chose  to  make  a  roundabout  march  of 
several  hundred  leagues,  and  encounter  the  rapids  of 
the  St.  Lawrence,  by  which  he  lost  some  of  his  boats 
and  several  hundred  men.*     Having  passed  the  Me 


*  General  Amherst  left  Schenectady  in  June,  1760,  to  join  an  array 
of  four  thousand  regulars  and  six  thousand  provincials,  who  were  to 
descend  into  the  heart  of  the  French  colony  by  the  St.  Lawrence.  Mean- 
while General  Murray  was  to  approach,  with  two  thousand  regulars, 
from  Q,uebpc,  whilst  five  thousand  provincials,  under  Colonel  Haviland, 
were  to  penetrate  by  Lake  Champlain.  Sir  William  Johnson  also  held 
out  a  promise  of  assistance  by  a  large  body  of  Indian  allies,  of  whom 
not  more  than  six  hundred  accompanied  the  western  army  for  a  short 
distance,  and  then  returned  to  their  villages  and  hunting  grounds. 

The  three  grand  divisions,  however,  met  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Montreal,  and  drove  the  enemy's  forces  into  thr  island,  when,  bein? 

10 


70 


JOURNAL   OK 


aux  Noix,  the  wind  sprang  up  in  our  favor ; — assisted 
by  the  wind  and  current,  we  reached  St.  John's  at 
three  o'clock.  Before  I  speak  of  this  fortress,  it  may 
not  be  improper  to  make  some  remarks  on  the  navi- 
gation of  Lake  Champlain,  tlie  adjacent  country,  and 
its  appearance.  The  navigation  appears  to  be  very 
secure,  as  there  are  many  inlets,  coves,  and  harbors, 
in  which  such  vessels  as  will  be  used  on  the  lake  may 
at  all  times  And  shelter;  the  water  is  deep,  at  least 
wherever  we  touched,  close  in  with  the  land.  There 
are  several  islands  in  the  lake,  the  most  considerable 
of  which  we  saw ;  the  principal  is  Grand  isle^ — it 
deserves  the  appellation,  being,  as  we  were  informed, 
twenty-seven  miles  long,  and  three  or  four  miles  wide. 
Isle  la  Mottc  is  the  next  largest,  and  Isle  de  Belle  Cow 
ranks  after  that.  Isle  la  Mottc  we  touched  at ;  the 
others  we  could  plainly  distinguish.  We  saw  several 
of  the  islands  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  some 
of  which  appear  as  large  as  Poplar's  island;  but, 
having  no  person  on  board  our  boats  acquainted  with 
the  lake,  we  could  not  learn  their  names.  The  lake, 
on  an  average,  may  be  six  miles  broad;  in  some 
places  it  is  above  fifteen  miles  wide,  particularly 
about  Cumberland  bay  and  Schuyler's  island ;  but  in 
others  it  is  not  three  miles,  and  in  the  narrows  not 
above  a  mile  and  a  half,  to  judge  by  the  eye.  As 
you  go  down  the  lake,  the  mountains  which  hem  it 


surrounded  and  unable  to  resist.  Monsieur  Vaudrieul,  the  governor, 
surrendered  all  Canada  to  the  British  on  the  8th  of  September.  It  was 
whilst  Amherst  was  proceeding  north,  on  this  expedition,  that  he  was 
forced  to  avoid  the  French  at  Isle  aux  Noix,  and  thus  lost  some  valuable 
troops  in  the  perilous  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  This  result  con- 
firms Alien's  view  of  the  military  importance  of  that  island  in  all  attacks 
on  Canada. 


CHARLES  CARRULI.  OF  CARROLLTON. 


71 


in  on  the  east  and  west  extend  themselves  wider,  and 
leave  a  greater  extent  of  tine  level  land  between 
them  and  the  lake  on  each  shore.     Some  of  these 
mountains  are  remarkiibly  high.     In  many  places,  on 
or  near  their  tops,  the  snow  still  remains.  They  form 
several  picturesque  views,  and  contribute  much,  in 
my  opinion,  to  the  beauty  of  the  lake.    The  snow 
not  dissolving,  in  their  latitude,  at  the  end  of  April, 
is  a  proof  of  their  height: — the  distance  at  which 
some  of   these    mountains    are    visible    is    a    still 
stronger  proof.     Several  of  them  may  be  distinctly 
seen  from  Montreal,  which  can  not  be  at  a  less  dis- 
tance from  the  most  remote  than  seventy  or  eighty 
miles,  and,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  considerably  fur- 
ther.  If  America  should  succeed,  and  establish  liberty 
throughout  this  part  of  the  continent,  I  have  not 
the  least  doubt  that  the  lands  bordering  on  Lake 
Champlain  will  be  very  valuable  in  a  short  time,  and 
that  a  great  trade  will  be  carried  on  over  Lake 
Champlain,  between  Canada  and  New  York.     An 
easy  water  communication  may  be   opened,  at  no 
great  expense,  (if  General  Schuyler  be  not  mistaken,) 
between  the  cities  of  New  York,  Montreal,  and  Que- 
bec, and  several  other  places  in  Canada.    Richelieu, 
or  Soi'cl  river,  from  Isle  aux  letes  to  St.  John's,  would 
be  esteemed  a  large  river  even  in  Maryland.    The 
navigation  of  it  between  those  places  is  good,  for  the 
current  is  not  so  strong  as  not  to  be  stemmed  with 
oars,  or  a  wind.     At  St.  John's  the  current  is  very 
rapid,  and  continues  so,  sometimes  more,  sometimes 
less,  to  Chamblay, — distant   twelve  miles  from  St. 
John's.    Opposite  St.  John's,  I  think  the  river  is  half 
a  mile  wide. 


72 


JOURNAL   OF 


The  fortifications  of  St.  John's  were  not  injured  by 
the  siege ; — they  consist  of  earth  ramparts,  enclosed 
by  a  ditch  filled  with  water;  palisadoes,  closely  joined 
together,  are  fastened  at  the  base  of  the  ramparts, 
and  confined  by  the  weight  of  them  projecting  half 
way  over  the  ditch,  to  prevent  an  escalade.  There 
are,  properly  speaking,  two  forts,  built  around  some 
houses,  which  were  converted  into  magazines  and 
barracks; — the  communication  between  the  two  is 
secured  by  a  strong  enclosure  of  large  stakes  driven 
deep  into  the  ground,  and  as  close  as  they  can  stand 
together.  A  ditch  runs  along  this  fence.  The  houses 
within  the  forts  suffered  much  from  our  batteries^ 
which  surrounded  the  forts,  but  the  cannon  was  not 
heavy  enough  to  make  any  impression  on  the  works. 
Want  of  ammunition  and  provisions,  and  the  inclem- 
ency of  the  season,  obliged  the  garrison  to  surrender; 
for  the  soldiers  were  constrained  to  hide  themselves 
in  the  cellars,  which  are  bomb-proof,  or  lie  behind  the 
mounds  of  earth  thrown  up  within  the  forts,  exposed 
to  the  severity  of  the  cold  and  rains,  or  run  the  risk 
of  having  their  brains  beaten  out  in  the  houses  by  our 
shot,  or  by  the  fragments  of  the  walls  and  timbers, 
and  bursting  of  the  bombs.  As  you  go  down  the 
river  from  Point  au  Fer  to  St.  John's,  you  have  a 
distant  and  beautiful  prospect  of  the  mountains  on 
either  side  of  the  lake.  After  passing  Isle  aux  Noix, 
you  have  a  fine  view  of  the  mountain  of  Cham- 
blay,  on  the  top  of  which  is  a  lake  stored  with 
excellent  trout  and  perch.  Having  despatched  a 
messenger  to  Montreal  for  carriages  for  ourselves  and 
baggage,  we  crossed  the  river  to  go  to  a  tavern  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river,  about  a  mile  from  the  fort. 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


73 


The  house  belongs  to  Colonel  Hazen,  and  has  greatly 
suffered  by  the  neighborhood  of  the  troops.  There 
is  scarcely  a  whole  pane  of  glass  in  the  house, 
the  window-shutters  and  doors  are  destroyed,  and 
the  hinges  stolen;  in  short,  it  appears  a  perfect 
wreck.  This  tavern  is  kept  by  a  French  woman, 
married  to  one  Donaho,  now  a  prisoner  in  Penn- 
sylvania. 

2Seh.  We  remained  at  Colonel  Hazen's  house. 
Several  batteaux  with  troops  arrived  this  day  and 
yesterday  evening  from  Ticonderoga,  and  most  of 
them  fell  down  the  river  this  day  to  Chamblay.  The 
land  appears  to  be  very  fertile,  and  well  adapted  to 
pasture ;  the  grass  began  to  grow  fast,  although  the 
frost  was  not  then  out  of  the  ground,  the  surface  only 
being  thawed.* 

Q9th.  Left  Colonel  Hazen's  house ;  crossed  over  to 
St.  John's,  where  we  found  our  caliches  ready  to 
receive  us.  After  an  hour's  stay  spent  in  getting  our 
baggage  into  the  carts,  a.  d  securing  the  remainder, — 
which,  for  want  of  carts,  we  were  obliged  to  leave 
behind  us, — we  set  off  from  St.  John's  for  La  PrainCy 
distant  eighteen  miles.  I  never  travelled  through 
worse  roads,  or  in  worse  carriages.  The  country  is 
one  continued  plain  from  St.  John's  to  La  Prairie, 
and  two-thirds  of  the  way  uncultivated,  though  de- 
serving the  highest  cultivation.  About  five  or  six 
miles  from  La  Prairie  you  meet  with  houses  and 
ploughed  lands,  interspersed  with  meadows,  which 


*  Immediately  on  the  arrival  of  the  commissioners  at  Montreal,  Mr. 
John  Carroll  addressed  a  letter  to  his  mother,  dated  1st  May,  giving  an 
interesting  account  of  their  journey  to  Canada.  The  reader  will  find  it 
in  the  American  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  1  \^^. 


74 


JOURNAL   OK 


extend  as  far  as  you  can  see; — all  this  tract  of  land 
is  capable  of  being  turned  into  fine  meadow,  and 
when  the  country  becomes  more  populous,  and  enjoys 
a  good  government,  I  doubt  not  it  will  be  all  drained 
and  made  into  excellent  meadow  or  pasturage.  With- 
out draining,  it  will  be  impossible  to  cultivate  it  in 
any  way.  You  have  no  view  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
or  of  Montreal,  until  you  come  within  three  or  four 
miles  of  La  Prairie.  At  La  Prairie  the  view  of  the 
town  and  the  river,  and  the  island  of  Montreal,  to- 
gether with  the  houses  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  form  a  beautiful  prospect.  As  far  as  the 
view  extends  down  the  river,  you  discern  houses  on 
either  side  of  it,  which  are  not  divided  from  each 
other  by  more  than  four  acres,  and  commonly  by  not 
more  than  two.  From  La  Prairie  you  go  slanting 
down  the  river  to  Montreal ;  this  passage  is  computed 
six  miles,  though  the  river,  in  a  direct  line  across 
from  the  eastern  shore  to  the  town,  is  not  more  than 
three  miles.  Ships  of  three  hundred  tons  can  come 
up  to  Montreal ;  but  they  can  not  get  up  above  the 
town,  or  even  abreast  of  it.  The  river  where  we 
crossed  is  filled  with  rocks  and  shoals,  which  occa- 
sion a  very  rapid  current  in  several  places.  We  were 
received  by  General  Arnold,  on  our  landing,  in  the 
most  polite  and  friendly  manner;  conducted  to  head- 
quarters, where  a  genteel  company  of  ladies  and  gen-' 
tlemen  had  assembled  to  welcome  our  arrival.  As 
we  went  from  the  landing  place  to  the  general's 
house,  the  cannon  of  the  citadel  fired  in  compliment 
to  us  as  the  commissioners  of  congress.  We  supped 
at  that  general's,  and  after  supper  were  conducted, 
by  the  general  and  other  gentlemen,  to  our  lodgings, — 


CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


75 


the  house  of  Mr.  Thomas  Walker, — the  best  built,  and 
perhaps  the  best  furnished  in  this  town.* 

May  Wth.  Dr.  Franklin  left  Montreal  to-day  to  go 
to  St.  John's,  and  from  thence  to  congress.  Tlie  doc- 
tor's declining  state  of  health,  and  the  bad  prospect  of 
our  affairs  in  Canada,  made  him  take  this  resolution.! 

\2th.  We  set  oflf  from  Montreal  to  go  to  La  Prairie. 
Mr.  John  Carroll  went  to  join  Dr.  Franklin  at  St. 
John's,  from  whence  they  sailed  the  13th.{ 

*  See  Arnold's  letter  to  Schuyler,  Montreal,  April  30, 1776. — drchives, 
vol.  V,  p.  1155.  And  see  also.  Commissioners'  letter  to  Congress,  dated 
Montreal,  1  May,  1776,  with  the  memorandum  of  the  council  of  war  aa 
to  fortifying  Jaques  Cartier  and  the  falls  of  Richelieu,  and  the  building 
of  six  gondolas. — iimerkan  Archives,  vol.  v,  p.  1166. 

t  Dr.  Franklin's  health  (as  he  had  predicted  at  the  outset)  was  im- 
paired by  the  hardships  of  this  journey.  After  being  a  fortnight  at 
Montreal,  he  set  out  homewards  with  Mr.  John  Carroll,  who  afterwards 
became  the  first  Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of  the  United  States. 
With  some  difficulty  they  reached  Albany,  whence  they  came  to  New 
York  in  a  private  carriage  furnished  by  General  Schuyler, 

In  a  letter,  dated  at  New  York  on  the  27th  of  May,  he  thanks  General 
Schuyler  and  his  wife  for  their  attention  to  his  comforts ;  and  is  glad 
that  he  did  not  pursue  his  original  intention  of  taking  the  general's  sulky 
and  driving  over  the  stones  and  gullies,  in  which  he  should  probably 
have  overset  and  broken  his  bones. 

In  a  letter  of  the  same  date,  "to  the  Commissioners  in  Canada,"  he 
informs  his  friends  of  his  arrival,  and  rather  petulantly  says  that  they 
"  left  Mrs.  Walker  with  her  husband  at  Albany,  from  whence  we  came 
down  by  land.  We  passed  him  on  Lake  Champlain ;  but  he,  returning, 
overtook  us  at  Saratoga,  xohen  they  both  took  such  liberties  in  taunting  at 
our  conduct  in  Canada,  that  it  came  almost  to  a  quarrel.  We  continued 
our  care  of  her,  however,  and  landed  her  safe  in  Albany,  with  her  three 
wagon  loads  of  baggage,  brought  thither  toUhout  putting  her  to  any  expense, 
and  parted  civilly  though  coldly.  /  think  they  both  have  an  excellent 
talent  at  making  tliemselvea  enemies,  and  I  believe,  live  where  they  will, 
they  will  never  be  long  unthovi  them."  The  Walkers  are  probably  the 
family  alluded  to  in  the  journal  on  the  29th  of  May. — Works  of  Frank- 
lin, vol.  i,  p.  404,  and  vol.  viii,  pp.  182,  183,  Sparks's  edition. 

X  Franklin  did  not  forget  the  kind  attentions  of  the  Rev.  John  Carroll 
during  this  journey  ;  nor  did  he  fail  to  appreciate  the  virtues  and  intel- 


76 


JOUKNAL    OF 


Ml,'    I 


I 


I' 


I'Mfi.  I  went  to  St.  John's  to  examine  into  the  state 
of  that  garrison,  and  of  the  batteaux.  There  I  met 
with  General  Thompson  and  Colonel  Sinclair,  with 
part  of  Thompson's  brigade.  That  evening  I  went 
with  them  down  the  Sorel  to  Chamblay.  Major 
Wood  and  myself  remained  in  the  boat  when  we  got 
to  St.  Therese,  where  tl.e  rapids  begin  and  continue, 
with  some  interruptions,  to  Chamblay.  Flat  bot- 
tomed boats  may  go  down  these  rapids  in  the  spring 
of  the  year,  when  the  water  is  high ; — even  a  large 
gondola  passed  down  them  this  spring ;  but  it  would 
be  very  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  bring  a  gondola 
up  against  the  stream.  I  much  question  whether  the 
batteaux  could  be  brought  up ;  certain  it  is  that  the 
labor  of  towing  them  up,  or  setting  them  up  the  cur- 
rent with  setting  poles,  would  be  greater,  an.  Lake 
much  more  time,  than  cartihg  them  over  the  carrying 
place  from  Chamblay  to  within  three  miles  of  St. 
Ther^se.  All  our  batteaux  which  shoot  the  rapids 
and  go  down  the  Sorel  to  Chamblay  and  that  are 
brought  up  again  to  St.  John's,  are  carted  over  the 
carrying  place  on  frames  constructed  for  the  purpose. 
It  was  proposed  by  some  to  bring  a  gondola^  built  at 
Chamblay,  over  land  three  miles  into  the  Sorel,  three 
miles  below  St.  Ther^se ;  others  were  of  opinion  it 
could  be  more  easily  towed  up  over  the  rapids.  Cham- 

lectual  cultivation  of  that  excellent  clergyman.  The  following  extract 
from  the  doctor's  private  journal  atPassy  in  1784,  shows  that  be  thought 
of  him  constantly,  and  pressed  his  claims  for  the  highest  dignity  of  the 
church  in  our  confederacy. 

"July  Ut,  (1784.) — The  pope's  nuncio  called,  and  acquainted  me  that 
the  pope  had,  on  ray  recommendation,  appointed  Mr.  John  Carroll  supe- 
rior of  the  Catholic  clergy  in  America,  with  many  powers  of  bishop ; 
and  that,  probably,  he  would  be  made  a  bisbop,  in  partibus,  before  the 
pnd  of  the  year. — See  JVorki  of  Franklin,  vol.  i,  p.  581,Sparks'8  edition. 


CHARLES  CARHOLL  OF  CARROl.LTON. 


77 


blayfort  is  a  large  scjuare  stone  building,  with  square 
towers  at  each  angle,  a  place  intended  only  as  a  pro- 
tection against  the  sa/ages.  I  saw  the  holes  made 
by  a  six  pounder,  when  it  was  taken  by  Major  Brown. 
Major  Stafiord  might  have  held  out  against  the  force 
which  besieged  him  at  least  for  some  days,  in  which 
time  he  would  probably  have  been  relieved  by  Carle- 
ton.  But,  by  Carleton's  subsequent  behaviour,  when 
he  made  an  attempt  to  go  to  the  relief  of  St. 
John's,  1  much  question  whether  he  would  have  taken 
more  effectual  measures  to  rescue  Stafford.  The 
taking  of  Chamblay  occasioned  the  taking  of  St. 
John's;  against  the  latter  we  should  not  have  suc- 
ceeded without  the  six  tons  of  gunpowder  taken  in 
the  former. 

14^/fc.  I  returned  to  Montreal  by  La  Prairie;  the 
country  between  Chamblay  and  La  Prairie  is  ex- 
tremely fine  and  level,  abounding  with  most  excellent 
meadow-ground  as  you  approach  the  St.  Lawrence, 
with  rich  arable  land  round  about  Chamblay.  The 
country  lying  between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Sorel 
is  the  best  part  of  Canada,  and  produces  the  most  and 
best  wheat.  In  the  year  1771  four  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-one thousand  bushels  of  wheat  were  exported 
out  of  Canada,  of  which  two-thirds,  it  is  computed, 
were  made  in  the  Sorel  district.* 

2\st.  This  day  Mr.  Chase  set  off  with  me  for  the 
mouth  of  the  Sorel ;  we  embarked  from  Montreal  in 
one  of  our  batteaux,  and  went  in  it  as  far  as  the  point 
of  land  on  the  north  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  oppo- 

*  The  coirimissioners  wrote  to  congress  from  Montreal  on  the  8lh  of 
May. — See  American  drchives,  vol.  v,  p.  1237.  On  May  10th  from  same 
place. — See  American  Archives,  vol.  vi,  p.  450,  (^yd  unpublished.)  And 
again  on  the  16th  May.— W.  p.  482. 

11 


78 


JOURNAL   OF 


I 


site  to  the  northern  extremity  of  the  Island  of  Mon- 
treal ;  iiere,  the  wind  being  against  us,  we  took  post 
and  travelled  on  the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
as  low  down  as  La  Norc^  where  we  got  into  a  canoe, 
and  were  paddled  down  and  across  the  St.  Lawrence 
to  our  camp  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel; — it  was  a 
perfect  calm,  the  distance  is  computed  at  nine  miles. 
The  country  on  each  side  the  St.  Lawrence  is  level, 
rich,  and  thickly  seated ;  indeed,  so  thickly  seated, 
that  the  houses  form  almost  one  continued  row.  In 
going  from  La  Nore  to  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel,  we 
passed  by  Brown's  battery  (as  it  is  called),  although 
it  never  had  a  cannon  mounted  on  it.  To  this  battery 
without  cannon,  and  to  a  single  gondola,  ten  or  twelve 
vessels,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Prescott,  sur- 
rendered. Major  Brown,  when  the  vessels  came  near 
to  his  battery,  sent  an  officer  on  board  requesting 
Prescott  to  send  another  on  shore  to  view  his  works. 
It  is  difficult  to  determine  which  was  greatest,  the 
impudence  of  Brown  in  demanding  a  surrender,  or  the 
cowardice  of  the  officer  who,  going  back  to  Prescott, 
represented  the  difficulty  of  passing  the  battery  so 
great  and  hazardous,  that  Prescott  and  all  his  officers 
chose  to  capitulate.  Brown  requested  the  officer  who 
went  on  shore  to  wait  a  little  until  he  saw  the  two 
thirty-two  pounders,  which  were  within  half  a  mile, 
coming  from  Chamblay; — says  he,  "If  you  should 
chance  to  escape  this  battery,  which  is  my  small  bat- 
tery, I  have  a  grand  battery  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel, 
which  will  infallibly  sink  all  your  vessels.''  His  grand 
battery  was  as  badly  provided  with  cannon  as  his 
little  battery,  for  not  a  single  gun  was  mounted  on 
either.     This  Prescott  treated  our  prisoners   with 


CHARLES    cARROLL   OP    CARROLLTON. 


79 


# 


great  insolence  and  brutality.  His  behaviour  justifies 
the  old  observation,  that  cowards  are  generally  cruel. 
We  found  the  discipline  of  our  camp  very  remiss, 
and  every  thing  ia  confusion ; — (General  Thomas 
had  but  lately  resigned  the  command  to  Thompson, 
by  whose  activity  things  were  soon  put  on  a  better 
footing. 

22(1.  We  left  our  camp  and  travelled  by  land  along 
the  eastern  bank  of  the  Sorel.  At  live  or  six  miles 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Sorel  the  country  grows  rich, 
and  continues  so  all  the  way  to  Chamblay.  Near 
the  mouth  of  the  river  it  is  very  sandy.  This  part  of 
the  country  is  very  populous,  the  villages  are  large 
and  neat,  and  joined  together  by  a  continued  range 
of  single  houses,  chiefly  farmers'  houses.  These  are 
th-.^  rich  men  in  Canada :  the  seignieurs  are  in  general 
poor.  They  were  constrained  by  the  ordinances  of 
the  king  of  France  to  lease  their  lands  for  ever,  re- 
serving two  dollars  for  every  ninety  acres,  and  some 
other  trifling  perquisites,  as  tolls  for  grinding  wheat; 
the  tenants  being  obliged  to  have  their  wheat  ground 
at  their  seignieurs^  mills.  It  is  conjectured  that  the 
farmers  in  Canada  can  not  be  possessed  of  less  than 
a  million  sterling,  in  specie; — they  hoard  up  their 
money  to  portion  their  children; — they  neither  let 
it  out  at  interest,  nor  expend  it  in  the  purchase  of 
lands.  Before  we  left  the  camp  we  ordered  a  de- 
tachment up  to  Montreal,  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  De  Haas,  consisting  of  near  four  hundred 
men,  to  reinforce  General  Arnold,  and,  in  conjunc- 
tion, to  drive  oflf  a  party  of  the  eighth  regiment,  who, 
with  three  hundred  and  fifty  savages,  and  some 
Canadians,  had  taken  our  post  at  the  Cedars,  through 


80 


JOURNAL   OF 


mp> 


111 

M 

m 


the  cowardice  of  Major  Butterfield  *  and  had  ad- 
vanced, on  the  25th  instant,  within  fifteen  miles  of 
Montreal. 

23d.  We  got  early  this  morning  to  Chamblay, 
vhere  we  found  all  things  in  much  confusion,  extreme 
disorder,  and  negligence,  our  credit  sunk,  and  no 
money  to  retrieve  it  with.  We  were  obliged  to  pay 
three  silver  dollars  for  the  carriage  of  three  barrels 
of  gunpowder  from  Little  Chamblay  river  to  Lon- 
g'ieil,  the  officer  who  commanded  the  guard  not 
having  a  single  shilling. 

Mth.  Colonel  De  Haas's  detachment  got  into  Mon- 
treal this  evening ;  the  day  before,  we,  also,  arrived 
there,  having  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence  in  a  canoe 
from  Longueil. 

2bth.  In  the  evening  of  this  day  Colonel  De  Haas's 
detachment  marched  out  of  Montreal  to  join  General 
Arnold  at  La  Chine ;  they  were  detained  from  want, 
of  many  necessaries,  which  we  were  obliged  to  pro- 
cure for  them.  General  Wooster  being  without  mo- 
ney, or  pretending  to  be  so.t     The  enemy,  hearing 


•Arnold  had  left  Quebec  on  account  of  his  suffering  from  a  severe 
wound,  but  more  probaWy  in  consequence  of  his  jealousy  and  discon- 
tent with  General  Wooster.  At  Montreal  he  was  again  in  command, 
and,  for  the  results  of  his  course  after  the  disaster  at  the  Cedars,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  his  life,  in  Sparks's  American  Diography,  vol.  iii, 
p.  5G,  et  seq. 

At  the  Cedars,  nrarly  four  hundred  men  surrendered,  by  a  disgraceful 
capitulation,  and  a  lundred  more  were  barbarously  murdered  by  savages. 

fin  a  letter  from  the  commissioners  to  congress,  dated  at  Montreal  on 
the  27th  May,  '70,  they  deal  ■'vith  General  Wooster  in  unmeasured 
terms.  "  General  Thomas,"  they  say,  "  is  now  at  Chamblay  under 
the  small-pox.  Being  taken  v*  ith  that  disorder,  he  left  the  camp  at 
Sorel,  and  wrote  to  General  Wooster  to  come  and  lake  command. 
When  the  interest  of  our  country  and  the  safely  of  your  army  arc  at 
stake,  we  think  it  very  improper  to  conceal  our  sentiments,  either  with 


CHARLES  CAKROLL  OV   CARROLLTON, 


81 


from  our  enemies  in  Montreal,  of  this  reinforcement, 
had  retreated  precipitately  to  Fort  St.  Anne's,  at  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  Island  of  Montreal,  and 
from  thence  had  crossed  over  to  Ouinze  Chiens,  on 
the  north  side  of  the  St.  Lawrence. 

29th.  We  left  Montreal  this  day  at  three  o'clock,* 
to  go  to  Chamblay,  to  be  present  at  a  council  of  war 
of  the  generals  and  field-officers,  for  concerting  the 
operations  of  the  campaign. 

SOth.  The  council  of  war  was  held  this  day,  and 
determined  to  maintain  possession  of  the  country 
between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Sorel,  if  possible ; — 
in  the  meantime  to  dispose  matters  so  as  to  make  an 
orderly  retreat  out  of  Canada. 

3lst.  Set  off  from  Chamblay  for  St.  John's ; — all 
things  there  in  confusion : — slept  at  Mrs.  Donaho's. 

regard  to  persons  or  things.  General  Wooster  is,  in  our  opinion,  unfit — 
totally  unfit — to  command  your  army  and  conduct  the  war.  We  have, 
hitherto,  prevailed  on  him  to  remain  in  Montreal.  His  stay  in  this  colo- 
ny is  unnecessary,  and  even  prejudicial  to  our  atTairs.  We  would 
therefore  humbly  advise  his  recall." — MS.  lctte>'  in  the  State  department 
at  JVashinglon.  It  will  be  published  by  Mr.  Force  in  the  sixth  volume  of 
the  American  Archives,  (the  proof-sheets  of  which  I  have  seen,)  at  p.  589. 

Wooster  requested  an  inquiry  into  his  conduct  as  commandpr  of  the 
forces  in  Canada.  The  matter  was  referred  by  rongress  tn  a  committee, 
which,  upon  full  investigation,  declared  ihatnol'Mtic  censurable  appeared 
against  him. — See  Jaiirnabof  Cons;ir.ss,  August  .  ''Ik,  177G.  He  resigned 
his  commission  in  the  continental  army,  and  Avas  appointed  first  major- 
general  of  the  Connecticut  militia. — See  Sparks^s  Life  and  Writings  of 
Washington,  vol.  iii,  p.  412,  in  note. 

Wooster  was  killed  in  1777,  in  a  spirited  action  between  the  Con- 
necticut troops  and  the  English  force  under  Governor  Tryon,  near 
Danbury. 

*See  letter  from  the  Commissioners  to  Congress,  dated  27  May,  1776, 
in  the  sixth  volume  .if  American  Archives,  p.  59(i.  This  is  their 
last  letter  from  Canada,  and  is  very  valuable,  as  containing  a  pretty  full 
report  of  the  «tate  ot  aiTairs  in  tliat  province,  and  the  condition  of  the 
armv.     It  has  been  freelv  extracted  from  in  ihe  introductory  memoir. 


82 


JOURNAL    OF 


ll 


June  \st.  Crossed  over  this  morning  to  St.  John's, 
where  General  Sullivan,  with  fourteen  hundred  men, 
had  arrived  in  the  night  of  the  3lst  past;  saw  them 
all  under  arms.  It  began  to  rain  at  nine  o'clock,  and 
continued  raining  very  hard  until  late  in  the  even- 
ing ; — slept  at  Donaho's. 

2d.  Crossed  over  again  to  the  camp ;  took  leave  of 
General  Sullivan,  and  sailed  from  St.  John's  at  six 
this  morning,  with  a  fair  wind ; — got  to  Point  au  Fer 
at  one  o'clock ; — got  to  Cumberland  head  about 
seven  o'clock,  P.  M. ;  set  off  from  thence  about  nine, 
and  rowed  all  night.  We  divided  our  boat's  crew 
into  two  watches. 

3rf.  Breakfasted  at  Willsborough ;  rowed  on  and 
received  despatches  by  Major  Hickes ;  got  to  Crown 
Point  half-past  six  o'clock,  P.  M.  Set  off  at  eight, 
rowed  all  night,  and  arrived  at  one  o'clock  in  the  night 
at  Ticonderoga,  where  we  found  General  Schuyler. 

^th.  Set  off  this  morning  at  five  with  General 
Schuyler,  for  Skeenesborough,  and  got  there  by  two 
o'clock.  The  lake,  as  you  approach  Skee/icsborough, 
grows  narrower  and  sliallower;  indeed,  within  five 
or  six  miles  of  Skeerie»bor</ugh,  it  has  all  the  appear- 
ance of  a  river.  We  hauled  our  batteau  over  the 
carrying  place  at  Skeenesborough  into  Wood  creek. 
This  carrying  place  is  not  above  three  hundred  feet 
across ;  a  lock  may  be  made  Uir  two  hundred  pounds 
at  Skeenesborough,  by  which  means  a  continued 
navigation  would  be  effected  lor  batte.iux  from  one 
Chesshire's  into  Lake  Champlain,  Major  Skeene 
has  built  a  saw-mill,  grist  mill,  and  a  lori^c  at  the 
entrance  of  Wood  creek  into  l<ulie  Champlain  Set 
off  from  Skeenesborough  at  four  o'clork,  rov>ed  up 


(HAKLES    CARFtOLL    OF    CARROLLTON. 


83 


Wood  creek  ten  miles,  to  one  Boyle's,  here  we  lay  all 
night  on  board  our  boat. 

5«/t.  Set  off  at  three  in  the  morning,  and  continued 
rowing  up  the  creek  to  one  Chcsshire's.  This  man 
lives  near  Fort  Ann,  built  by  Governor  Nicholson  in 
1709.  The  distance  from  Skeenesborough  to  Chess- 
hire's,  is  twenty-two  miles, — by  land,  fourteen  only ; 
from  this  it  appears  that  Wood  creek  has  many 
windings,  in  fact,  I  never  saw  a  more  serpentine 
river.  The  navigation  is  somewhat  obstructed  by 
trees  drifted  and  piled  across  the  creek ;  however,  we 
met  with  little  difficulty  but  in  one  place,  where  we 
were  obliged  to  quit  our  boat,  and  carry  it  through  a 
narrow  gut,  which  was  soon  performed  by  our  crew. 
Two  hundred  men  would  clear  this  creek  and  remove 
every  obstruction  in  six  days'  time.  This  measure 
has  been  recommended  by  the  commissioners  to  con- 
gress, and  congress  has  complied  with  the  recom- 
mendation, and  orders  will  soon  be  given  to  General 
Schuyler  ir>  clear  it,  and  render  the  navigation 
easy. 

I  set  off  with  General  Schuyler,  on  foot,  from  Chess- 
hire's,  at  one  o'clock ;  v^^alked  seven  miles,  and  then 
met  horse.s  coming  from  Jones's  t(»  us,  Jones's  house 
is  distant  nine  miles  from  Cliesshires.  We  dined  at 
Jones's,  and  rode,  after  dinner,  to  Fort  Edward; — 
the  distance  is  computed  four  miles; — Mr.  Chase 
joined  us  this  evening.  He  took  the  lower  road  and 
was  obliged  to  walk  part  of  the  way. 

6th.  Parted  with  General  Schuyler  this  morning; 
he  returned  to  Fort  George  on  Lake  George.  We 
rode  to  Saratoga,  vvljere  we  got  by  seven  oclock, but 
did  not  find  the  amiable  family  at  home.     We  were 


84  JOURNAL  OF  CHARLES  CARROLL  OF  CARROLLTON. 


constrained  to  remain  here  all  this  day,  waiting  the 
arrival  of  our  servants  and  baggage. 

7th.  Our  servants  and  baggage  being  come  up,  we 
left  Saratoga  this  morning  at  nine;  took  boat  and 
went  down  Hudson's  river,  through  all  the  rapids,  to 
Albany.  The  distance  is  computed  thirty-six  miles. 
We  arrived  at  Albany  half  an  hour  past  five.  At  six 
o'clock  we  set  oil'  for  New  York  in  a  sloop :  which  we 
luckily  found  ready  to  sail;  got  that  evening  and 
night  twenty-four  miles  from  Albany. 

Sth.  Found  ourselves,  this  morning,  twenty-four 
miles  from  Albany ; — at  seven  in  the  morning  wind 
breezed  up,  had  a  fine  gale,  and  got  below  the  high- 
lands ; — a  very  great  run. 

9th.  Arrived  at  New  York  at  one  o'clock,  P.  M. ; — 
Waited  on  General  Washington  at  Motier's; — saw 
Generals  Gates  and  Putnam,  and  my  old  acquaint- 
ance and  friend,  Mr.  Moylan.  About  six  o'clock  in 
the  evening  got  into  General  Washington's  barge,  in 
company  with  Lord  Stirling,*  and  was  rowed  round 
by  Staten  Island  and  the  Kilns,  within  two  miles  of 
Elizabeth  town,  where  we  got  by  ten  at  night. 

10^/t.  Set  off  from  Elizabeth  town  half-past  five. 
Got  to  Bristol  at  eight  o'clock,  P.  M. : — at  nine, 
embarked  in  our  boats,  and  were  rowed  down  the 
Delaware  to  Philadelphia,  where  we  arrived  at  two 
o'clock  in  the  night. 

*Lord  Stirling  was  a  brigadier-general  in  the  American  army,  and 
stationed  at  New  York,  Avhere  he  had  command  for  a  short  time,  after  the 
departure  of  General  Lee. — See  IVaakington^s  Writings,  vol.  iii,  p.  318; 
and  T-Vajt/c/m's  Writings,  vol.  viii,  p.  180^  iiote,  (Sparks^s  editimi.)  On 
the  27th  of  Marcii^  1776,  Franklin  had  apprised  him  by  letlor  of  the 
proposed  journey  to  Canada,  and  desired  him  to  procure  lodgings  for 
the  party  m  New  York,  as  well  as  to  engage  a  sloop  lo  take  them  up 
the  river  to  Albany. 


of 


